Native American dancers in full-feathered regalia, backed by songs, war chants, and the cadence of booming tom-toms highlighted the 33rd Annual Intertribal Pow Wow yesterday at Honolulu's Thomas Square.

But three Code Talkers — Keith Little, 83, of New Mexico, along with Teddy Draper, 83, and Sam Tso, 85, of Arizona — stole the show.

The arrival of the three men for the kickoff of the event was appropriate since the theme of this year's two-day Pow Wow, "Honoring Our Veterans," is aimed at thanking Native American vets who, on a per capita basis, "provide more members to the armed forces than any other ethnic group," according to the American Indian Powwow Association's literature.

Little, Draper and Tso represent what many believe was America's "secret weapon" in bringing World War II to an end.

Code Talkers were Marine teams of bilingual Navajo speakers used by the wartime military to transmit secret tactical radio communications. The codes, based on the Navajo language (Choctaw and Comanche talkers were also used to a lesser extent), proved impossible for America's enemies to break.

At one point yesterday, the trio of Code Talkers — who seemed humbled by all the fuss — stood together near the front of the staging arena while virtually every one of the hundreds in attendance lined up to shake their hands.

Among the multitude of well-wishers was Tadahisa Megumi, 82, a former Japanese kamikaze pilot who was en route in mid-August of 1945 to plow his explosives-laden plane into Allied war ships docked at Okinawa when his suicide mission was called off because the war had just ended.

The three war veterans warmly greeted Megumi, who had been flown in on short notice for a "cultural connection" by event organizers. The kamikaze and the Code Talkers were all smiles as they posed for pictures.

"Famous Japanese saying," said Megumi following the greeting. " 'Yesterday's enemy is today's friend.' I want to make peace. I want to make friendship. Now time has passed, so those are my feelings."

Throughout the day the three Code Talkers sat in the shade of an open-air tent and told war stories to all who cared to listen. Inevitably those tales turned to February of 1945, when all three men were part of the deadliest conflict in Marine history — the Battle of Iwo Jima, where some 7,000 Leathernecks lost their lives.

"I was the radio man for the battalion commander on Iwo Jima," said Little. "I served as his regular radio man wherever he went — I'd practically sleep with him in the fox hole."

The secret language he spoke was "all in coded Navajo," Little explained. "It's a lot different from regular Navajo language."

For example, Tso, who personally witnessed what could be the most famous photograph ever taken — Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize-winning shot of five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi — said the code message for "Suribachi is secured" was Navajo for "sheeps eyes is cured."

Tso carries a copy of the immortal photograph with him.

"I met this one a couple of times," said Tso, pointing to Pima Native American Ira Hayes, the final man in the picture, whose hands are seen reaching skyward as he releases the flag pole.

During a spontaneous moment of truth, Tso also confided that he has fibbed about his age all these years, and that he's really only 83, not 85. The reason dates back to 1943 when, at age 19, Tso had a chance to land a job as a gandy dancer (laborer) on a railroad line. But he had to be age 21.

"I was 19 that morning and 21 by evening," he said with a chuckle. He's been telling folks he's two years older ever since.

There were other surprises.

Tourists Raymond and Orlinda Sanchez of Apple Valley, Calif., arrived in Waikiki on Monday and visited the Arizona Memorial later in the week. There, in a conversation with a group of veterans, they mentioned that Orlinda is Navajo. The vets suggested that the couple attend yesterday's Pow Wow.

The two showed up yesterday to take in the Native American singing, drumming, flute playing, and arts and crafts booths. But they got a bonus: They were startled to bump into Code Talker Teddy Draper, whose brother happens to be Orlinda's dad.

"Just being in Hawai'i was wonderful," said an astonished Raymond Sanchez. "And then we found out about the Pow Wow. And then we come here and find our uncle. It's amazing. It just shows that it's a small world right out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

The Pow Wow continues today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Thomas Square.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.