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Grand Ronde Memorial Day ceremony focuses on Vietnam-era veterans
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
On a day when President Barack
Obama lamented the denigration
of Vietnam War-era military per
sonnel when they returned home from a
divisive conflict, that era's veterans were
front and center in being honored during
the annual Grand Ronde Memorial Day
ceremony at the West Valley Veterans
Memorial.
Tribal Council Vice Chair Reyn Leno
and Tribal Council member Steve Bobb
Sr., both Marine Corps veterans who
served tours of duty in Vietnam, were
the principal Tribal speakers during the
See MEMORIAL DAY
continued on page 7
Jim Willis, right, director of
the Oregon Department of
Veterans' Affairs, reads a national
proclamation that honored the
50th anniversary of the start
of the Vietnam War and the
veterans who served and died
in the conflict during the Tribe's
Memorial Day observance at the
West Valley Veterans Memorial
in Grand Ronde on Monday, May
28. Looking on in the background
are, from left. Tribal Vice Chair
Reyn Leno, Tribal Council member
Steve Bobb Sr., Tribal Secretary
Jack Giffen Jr. and Tribal Council
member Toby McClary.
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Photo by Michelle Alalmo
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'Running Bear' lives again on this year's casino float
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Spirit Mountain Casino is
ready to rock. The casino
is title sponsor of the
Spirit Mountain Casino Grand
Floral Parade for the second
year running.
The sponsorship puts the ca
sino and the Grand Ronde Tribe
front and center on the parade's
main float. This year the float
will have a waterfall rushing to
the tune of the tragic pop song
"Running Bear," which was a
No. 1 hit for Johnny Preston
in 1960.
It tells the story of Running
Bear, an Indian brave, and Lit
tle White Dove, an Indian maid,
who are in love but separated by
See FLOAT
continued on page 9
1,095 register
for primary
election vote
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Less than 30 percent of eligible
Tribal members have regis
tered to vote in the upcoming
constitutional election that would,
if approved, institute a primary
process in Tribal elections begin
ning in 2013.
Tribal Election Board Chair
Penny DeLoe said 1,095 Tribal
members out of 3,879 eligible reg
istered to vote with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs for a registration
turnout of 28.2 percent.
Tribal Council voted in January
to send the primary election idea
to voters. If approved, it would
start a primary process if more
than 10 Tribal members are nomi
nated to run for Tribal Council
in June. The primary would pare
the nominee list down to six can
didates for the September general
election.
To amend the Tribal Constitu
tion, at least 30 percent of those
registered to vote must cast ballots
329 in this case and two-thirds
of those voting must approve of the
amendment.
See VOTE
continued on page 8