Wallace Joseph Gladstone (Kut-oy-is)?, great-grandson of Blood Indian Chief
Red Crow, was born on March 16, 1925 in his grandmother’s cabin on the
Blackfeet Reservation in the St. Mary’s Valley of Montana.
His father, Alec, a Métis, was the grandson of Hudson’s Bay Company
employee William Gladstone, who had come to the northwestern plains in 1848 to
work as a carpenter and blacksmith.
Wally was first named Na-tó-ta-koot or Holy Rock, a name selected for him by
Red Crow’s eldest daughter because she often found him praying. But at most
other times, he was perfecting his horse-riding and hunting skills, or putting
baby birds in handmade boats to give them a ride in the river before returning
them to their nests.
After a poor, but happy, childhood in what is now Babb, Montana and Glacier
Park where his father worked as a blacksmith, the family moved to Browning to
provide schooling opportunities for his older sisters, Nellie and Naida.
There, in 1936, Wally’s father Alec died, leaving his wife Lily and their
nine children. At that time Wally received from his grandmother the name he
carried until his death — Kut–oy-is — which means Blood-clot Boy, a
legendary Blackfeet hero, renowned for his strength and bravery. At this young
age, Wally was emerging as a Warrior.
These skills were further enhanced during his time at Haskell Indian School in
Lawrence, Kansas, where he was sent for his remaining high school years. The
school was noted for its nationally-recognized boxing program, in which Wally
excelled.
Then on Dec. 7, 1941, pre-empting graduation, he volunteered to serve with the
U.S. Navy in World War II. His combat theaters included the Aleutian Islands,
Guam, the Philippines, Okinawa and the occupation of Japan. A 20-millimeter
anti-aircraft specialist, Wally was also Light Heavyweight Champ of the Third
Fleet. Three hours after the victory flag was hoisted in August of 1945, Wally
and a handful of gunners on the Battleship Iowa refused to celebrate and thus
were able to shoot down a final, desperate kamikaze attempt on their flagship.
According to some sources, this was the final military action of WWII.
The end of hostilities found Wally in Seattle, where his mother had moved the
family for both educational and economic opportunities. Professional boxing
promoters began to recruit him heavily, but dissuaded by his sisters, he took
a job instead in construction. Ironically at this time, returning American
Indian veterans were met by signs in local businesses that said: “No dogs or
Indians allowed.”
Infuriated, Wally and other Indian vets “went on the warpath” and fought
to earn respect from their land-based contemporaries. Here in Seattle, he also
met the love of his life, Pearl, a transplanted German beauty from Williston,
North Dakota. Their marriage endured for 55 years, producing three children:
Gail, Carol and Jack. Gail is a West Seattle dental hygienist and manages a
pony farm in Milton, WA. Carol is a tax consultant. Jack is a singer,
songwriter and storyteller, based in Glacier Park and Kalispell, Montana.
After moving with Pearl back to his beloved St. Mary’s Valley in 1949, once
again the advent of war — this time the Korean War — called Wally to sea,
to serve as one of the first American Indian sailors with the U. S. Merchant
Marine. In his eight years of service Wally twice circled the globe,
navigating ships through every major Inland Passage in the world. He became a
strong union man, and once again found his warrior skills appreciated during
strikes and other confrontations.
Billings
Gazette, dated 7-12-03 article about Wally by John Potter
