Charles Lookout is 92 years old. He was born to Charles Lookout Sr. and Sadie Miller Lookout in Pawhuska on Dec. 29, 1922. His grandparents were Fred and Julia Lookout.
He attended elementary school in the Pawhuska Indian Camp and attended Pawhuska High School briefly until he went to Chilocco Indian School to finish. He volunteered in the U.S. Navy at the age of 19 and fought in World War II. After the war he attended Oklahoma State University on the GI Bill and went on to get his Masters degree in Library Science at the University of Oklahoma. He retired from the Tulsa City Public Library where he worked for 20 years. He also worked as a painter.
Osage News: What are some of the most important lessons you have learned in your life?
Charles Lookout: Dependability, honesty.
ON: What are the principles you live by?
CL: Loyalty, integrity, truthfulness, that’s about it.
ON: What district are you from?
CL: Pawhuska
ON: What is your Osage name?
CL: Tsi-To-Pah, meaning four lodges.
ON: Do you remember what it was like for the first time at the dances?
CL: I was very small, about four or five.
ON: What is your favorite Osage Food?
CL: Meat pies, frybread and meat gravy
ON: What do you miss from your youth and why?
CL: No, I guess I don’t miss anything.
ON: When and where were you the happiest?
CL: Well, I guess Dec. 21, 1945. I am here, I mean we lost 135 U.S. Marines and sailors. I am just glad I am here, everything else that has happened, good and bad, it wouldn’t have happened if I had been killed.
ON: What are you most proud of?
CL: I made it when I got my Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Navy in Norman. When I received my discharge I just thought to myself I made it through. I was 23 years old, I went in at 19, I volunteered, I didn’t want to go in the army, I didn’t want to march around, I wanted to be in the Navy. When I was a kid I saw the Navy ads, Follow the Fleet, Saturday Wear. I remember those times, those sailors seemed to have a good time and that was what I wanted.
ON: What is your earliest memory?
CL: I was about three or four and at the farmhouse in Pawhuska. My cousin was headed toward the cedar chest; I don’t remember why he was going to the cedar chest.
ON: Who or what did you love the most?
CL: I guess my parents.
ON: What do you remember from serving in World War II?
CL: I was on the U.S.S. Saratoga CV-3, the largest aircraft carrier at that time in the world, the largest carrier. We sailed on it with Ceylon British fleet. We went to Australia, Freemantle, Sidney, Trincomalee Ceylon and Colombo Ceylon, that was our base. We raided Sumatra and Java and then came back to the United States. After we got repaired and got an overhaul, and got the Air Force trained and everything like that, we went and raided on Tokyo and dropped back down to Iwo Jima, that was 1945.
Another memory is Tokyo Rose. They said Saratoga, we know your coming and we are going to sink you. Cloud cover saved us, they were buzzing around like bees but they couldn’t find us so we got out of that one.
I had a good time in the Navy but not all of it was good. I have made mistakes I would like to rectify but I can’t, but I can live and I am retired and I try to stay out of trouble and be a good guy and take care of my odds and ends.
ON: What was your rank?
CL: Machinist Mate 3rd Class
ON: How would you like people to remember you?
CL: Well, I served my country, my state and my county and my Osages.
ON: What advice would you like to give to Osage youth?
CL: Don’t be hooch men, stay smoke free.
ON: Is there anything you would like to add?
CL: Ihave had success in education and everything stems back to 1945.
By
Shannon Shaw Duty
Original Publish Date: 2015-08-14 00:00:00
