.SpilyayTymoo
Warm Springs, Oregon
April 14, 1995 3
Waheneka shares highlights
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In 1963 Grant received his Retirement Certificate from the United
States Air Force after 21 years of service.
by Saphronia Katchia
Eighty-three year old
Grant Waheneka was born
October6, 1911 atThe Dalles,
Oregon to Jake and Bessie
Waheneka.
His grandparents were
Jake Waheneka, Sr. and wife.
His grandmother, TyePum,
died whenhe was two-years-
old. On his mother's side,
his grandparents were Bob
and Sarah Jones, Sr. Other
relatives include his uncle weather." In 1926 he enough that he was given a reenlisted with his old war
Bob Jones, Jr. and Andrew completed the highest grade, choice, he chose the U.S. time bomb wing, the 93rd
Jones. Grant had four older ;which at that time was sixth Army Air Force. Less than a Bomb Wing at Castle Field,
brothers and'., a younger
sister, Alice who was born
May 31, 1915 and died May
19, 1916.
He remembers growing
up as a "lonesome little boy"
with four dogs and some
cats. His grandfather taught
him how to build bows and
arrows and how to snag
rabbits out of holes and also
how . to survive in the
wilderness by killing birds"
and forest animals. He recalls
his grandfather's knowledge
of herbs, which ones were
poisonous and which ones
could be used for medicinal
purposes. His uncle
Andrew, before becoming ill
from tuberculosis, taught
him how to make peace
pipes, braid horsehair,
weave fish nets and the
handling of guns for hunting
and tracking certain kinds of
animals. He also learned
ho w to tell if tracks were fresh
or old.
Looking back at the days
when he began school, he
remembers it being "some
of the most lonesome days,"
being separated from his
parents. At that time he did
not know how to speak, "one
word of the white-man
language. Because we did
not know or speak the
language, we some times
had to use our own language
but not within earshot of
school officials, if and when
we were overheard speaking
our language, we received a
"Everyday I walked
about four miles to the
Railroad Station at
North Junction to buy
the daily paper for a
whole nickel, ten
cents for the Sunday
paper."
good strap whipping,
making, asking or even
ordering us, never to speak
native again. I remember I
was about 8 years of age
when I started my education
at the old Warm Springs
Boarding School. I spent my
fourth grade year attending
the day school at Simnasho,
riding horseback about six
miles each way, come rain,
snow, and or warm
grade.' The principal felt he
was too young to stay out of
school, so he went back for
another year. He recalls
school officials finding
seventh grade books for he
and another student. He also
attended Chemawa Indian
School. His parents would
not allow him to attend
Chemawa another year so
he stayed home and helped
with the chores 'such as
farming and threshing the
grain, wheat, oats and rye
for hay in order to feed the
horses and cows.
Thatfallheandhis parents
spent time at other
allotments along the
Deschutes near Tule Lake
feeding their stock. There
they lived in a teepee with no
running water, no outhouse
or other modern
conveniences. "Our
bathroom was a sweat
house." A nearby hot spring
used for bathing.
"Everyday I walked about
four miles to the Railroad
Station at North Junction to
buy the daily paper for a
whole nickel, ten cents for
the Sunday paper." The two
railroads back then were The
Great Northern and Oregon
Washington Navigation,
now known as the Union
Pacific.
The first home his
grandfather built was a log
cabin with a fire place. His
grandfather passed away in
July 1927. Later, his father
built a home from rough
lumber which consisted of
two rooms, kitchen and
living quarters. It also
contained a deep well for
water supply.
Transportation back then
was by horse and buggy.
Grant recalls buying his first
car in 1926.
April 1929, a marriage
between he and Fannie
(Scott) Clydehawks was
arranged by their parents,
Their first child died at birth.
Their second child is Faye
Waheneka. She has eight
children, and twenty-two
grandchildren.
In the fall of 1929, he was
first employed earning $3 a
day. There was a waterline
being installed about three
miles from the Agency
headquarters to power a
generator for the lighting
system at Agency. He recalls
in 1929, "Wall Street fell and
all hell broke loose jobs
became scarce some
businesses went bankrupt
President Hoover received
all the blame for the country
going into the hardship."
He also recalls the
presidential elections when
Roosevelt was elected.
Around 1932 were the
Depression Years. No jobs or
money. He was a shade tree
mechanic, where he
overhauled vehicles and all
road equipment prior to
enlisting into the U.S. Army
Air Force.
March 7,1942, three
months after Pearl Harbor,
Grant was sworn in as a Buck
Private. After being sworn
in, he was transferred from
Portland to Ft. Lewis,
Washington. There he
performed a "battery of
tests". His I.Q. was high
week later he was assigned
to a new base in California,
Lemoore Army Air Base.
His drill master made him
a Corporal and defined him
as a person who already had
the knowledge of basics in
the formations of marching,
He was asked if he was a
previous service man. He
claimed it was from some
World War I Officers who
had taken positions with the
Warm Springs Boarding
School and drilled the
students every Sunday. He
was then removed from
basics and assigned to the
flight line as an Air Craft
mechanic. A month-and-a-
half later he was promoted
to PFC. Another four-and-a-
half months of PFC he was
promoted to Corporal rating. Kansas,
At that time, Congress November 13, 1951 he
approved a pay raise for all married Emily Henning, at
, , , ....
K was a happy day-of all happy days which I
have enjoyed-this was over and above all of
the happiest days I've known."
' "ICS
Last February at Lincoln's Birthday Pow wow, the Queahpama
family presented Grant with a buckskin vest and a trophy for being
an 'Honorable Warrior in the U.S. Air Force from 1942-63.
Military Personnel. "I started
drawing a big pay of $60 per
month" compared to $21 as
before. Working for the BIA
Roads department prior to
enlisting in the service he was
earning$90amonthasaboss.
From Lemore he was
reassigned to Douglas,
Arizona. After nine more
months of service he received
a promotion to the grade of
Staff Sergeant, and became
Flight Chief. He was
occasionally placed on flying
duties as a future Aerial
Engineer.
He returned to the United
States after World War II. "It
was a happy day of all
happy days which I have
enjoyed this was over and
above all of the happiest days
I've known."
Inl945hereenlistedinthe
service. He received
additional training in
mechanics and a flight
engineering. "This was after
the 'A' Bomb had been
dropped over Japan. He
served as a Flight Engineer,
flying over the North Pole as
a member of the Weather
Reconnaissance Squadron.
He was first based at Ladd
Field Alaska in Fairbanks,
Alaska. He was later
transferred to Eielson Field,
Alaska. When his enlistment
expired with Weather
Squadron he was assigned
to a base in Oklahoma City,
When that expired he
California,
He and Fannie separated
in 1946 and were divorced
March 22, 1951, prior to him
going back to the Far East.
He departed for England to
fight in the Korean War. He
spent almost a year there
before returning home. He
was home less than a month,
and was asked if he would
volunteer to go back to the
Far East, which he did.
A short time later he
received orders promoting
him to Technical Sergeant,
grade. When he returned to
the U.S. he was assigned to a
Photo Recon Squadron,
There he had multiple duties,
He soon was promoted to
Master Sergeant, and was
reassigned to Smoky Hill,
MM
t
of his pas
the Warm Springs
Presbyterian Church.
His disabilities began to
showandhewastransfcrred
to a hospital in Wichita Falls,
Texas. There he spent nine
months receiving treatment,
When he was released from
the hospital he was notified
by two base medical doctors
that he was to be discharged
from the service with 30
a percent disability. He told
the Colonels, "I have given
up the best years of my
productivelifetotheMilitary
Service and now I am about
to be released with
30percent I think I am able
Grant is eighty-three years old, he
Springs with his wife Emily.
yet, that I can give a full day's
work." The two Colonels
discussed his condition and
told him that he would
remain in the service.
"Happy day for me!"
He was then assigned to
duties as a director of the B
29 courses of Air Craft
Mechanics with both civilian
and military instructors.
Prior to becoming an
instructor he had to go to
base school to learn how to
be an instructor. The courses
offered hours of instruction
toward a degree in Business
Administration. He
graduated with honors,
second from the top in a class
of 32.
After a few months he wa s
transferred back to Chanute
Field where he became
Sergeant. A few months later
he was transferred to
Amarillo AFB, Texas to
become the Director of the
electrical phase of the Air
Craft Units of B-52s. There
he spent almost six years.
One day, Grant was
ordered to report to
headquarters with his
military records. He was
assigned a highly classified
Droiect six weeks later, to
L I
head up a brand new kind of
naming in oi. luuis,
Missouri. This new project
was known to be the Space
Program-NASA. He was
assigned to develoD a wrork
manual for the mechanics.
There the "Space vehicle"
which took the men to the
moon, was their creation.
After completion in the
Space Program he was
reassigned to Wurtsmith
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AFB Michigan, where he
retired after 21 years of
service.
I le was offered a couple of
high paying positions with
the service; he turned them
down to come home to serve
"I have given up the :
best years of my
productive life to the :
Military Service and ;
now I am about to be '
released with 30
percent-l think I am i
able yet, that I can
give a full day's work."
makes his home in Warm
his people, which he did. He
was appointed ana
commissioned by three
different state Governors to
serve the State government
which included serving on
Law Enforcement Council
and Youth Commission by
Governor McCall, the
American Bicenntial
Revolution Commission by
Governor Straub, and the
Historical Records Advisory
Board. He also received a
Commission to serve on the
State Humanities
Committee. He served the
Boy Scouts of America and
Festival of Arts as a board
member.
For the Tribe he served on
many committees and was
elected to Tribal Council. He
served two consecutive
terms, May 1965 through
April 1968. May 1968
through April 1971, he was
appointed Chairman.
His religion is Washat.
Activities he enjoys include
doing the crossword in The
Oregonian, everyday! He
enjoys rebuilding bicycles
and reading a lot. He also
used to do mechanic work
on cars. ;
He and Emily had no
children together. They
adopted Dolan, the son of
Harrison Davis, when he was
four while in Amarillo,
Texas. There daughter is
Man'orie Williams
Waheneka. They have nine
grandchildren besides the
twenty-two Grant and
Fannie have. Grant and
Emily now have a great-great
grandchild,