ABOUT ME
I was born in West Los Angeles County California in July of 1973 to my parents, my father Mr. Raymond W. Graves Jr., and my mother Mrs. Joy C. Graves, her maiden name Robison, whom were also born and lived for the most part in Los Angeles county California throughout their lives.
Though I was the only child of the marriage and family home, I in fact had 8 confirmed half sibling, 10 believed but only 8 confirmed first hand... all elder half brothers. I was the only female born child of both my parents, and too, I was the last child of both my parents.
Because the youngest of my elder siblings was 16 when I was born and was living with His mother, for the most part I was raised as "an only child" as far as the functioning of our immediate family unit was concerned in spite of the factual reality of things.
Don't get me wrong, most of my siblings were in my life growing up, but from a distance.... some I spent time with frequently, others I'd see every so many years, I have encountered but not formally been introduced, and 3 I'd never met... hell, two of them I don't even have a Clue of their name!
For the initial 12 years of my life, I was pretty well grounded in Garden Grove county California living in the city of Santa Ana, California.
I lived a 10 minute bicycle ride from Disneyland in one direction, a 15 minute bicycle ride to Knott's Berry Farm in another, or a 20 minute bicycle ride to Newport and Huntington Beach California. Glamourous as that might sound, it was far from perfect by any means and ultimately remains declared a "ghetto" or "Project" type of neighborhood.
When I was a kid, it was called "the vahario", since it's now called "Little Siagon". Either which way or time period you look at it, appearance wise, it was I who was "The minority" in my "homeland"... and ultimately still am.
My father was "The Man" of our family homelife. When I was born, he had already secured his permanent career which was as a Quality Assurance Representative for the Department of Defense for the United States federal government. This is the position he would maintain for more than 28 Years and ultimately retire from.
Among the things my father was accredited for in his DOD career before I was born, was in the designing and creation of the Apollo's, the Naval carrier ship engines, and the F-14 fighter jets. While I was a kid and going frequently to work with him per my schools request, he oversaw the building of the Space Shittle s Columbia and Challenger... the others he'd already built before I was born, among a great many other government projects and equipment.
Immediately prior to establishing his career in the DOD, my father was a teacher at ITT Technical Institute for a few years. Ultimately according to him, he changed careers at that point because he "Got bored teaching". Prior to being a teacher, my father worked as an inspector for Howard Hughes Aircraft overseeing the construction of aircraft contracted predominantly by the federal government... the DOD.
But before all of that, initially speaking, my fathers first choice of long term and life altering career choices was had in the United States Military, which sparked in him during his sophomore year of high school. While still attending Inglewood High School, in addition to having long been employed locally plowing fields to provide for his mother and three sisters during the times of the Great Depression, my father first enlisted into the California Army National Guard - the only one in the state of California that was both State militia and federal government military at the same time.
Initially my father enlisted on a 3 year term. Half way through his term, he advanced 2 ranks, attaining the status Corporeal And too, had become the official platoon leader for his company and division. At this time, my father requested permission to be Honorably Discharged. When asked why, he quickly and clearly stated "So I can enlist into the Regular Army and prepare for war."
My fathers request was granted, and the very next day, with his mother present to sign consent, my father enlisted into the United States Army, however, the fact that he had served in the California National Guard and too, that he had attained the rank of Corporeal had somehow escaped the equasion upon his enlistment, so once again, my father began building his life from the ground up as a private in the US Army.
Upon his enlistment, my father all but Demanded that he be assigned to the "Asiatic Pacific Theatre", which ultimately he was, so by June of 1940 my father along with his unit reached the island of Manila in the Philippines. This is where he would begin his career an an official soldier.
My father was assigned within the 31st Infantry division, General Mac Arthur's "Pride" of what would become known as World War 2. From arrival until the initiation of battle, my father was to personally train more than 200 Filipinos American systems of combat as well as American weaponry. Also too during this time period, my father was taught by those same 200+ men Filipino systems of combat and of their weaponry.
At the time the official "War" broke out and was declared, my father had a wife, a baby son and a second son on the way. My father's first combat engagement with the Japanese came at Clark Airfield. From their he engaged in the Battle of Luzon, and ultimately due to severe battle wounds, was ultimately taken Prisoner of War by the Japanese in a military MASH unit near to Corregdor.
For 3 years and 10 months my father would be a prisoner of war to the Japanese, and tortured every step of the way, but he endured ALL of it, including his own country Bombing his POW camp "Flat" while he was actually housed with hundreds of others as prisoners in it! He went from more than 200 pounds when taken prisoner to barely 78 pounds upon his repatriation, but, unlike so many far less fortunate, he made it, and too, he did so for the most part still physically intact... though mentally he would Never be the same or "Normal" according to the society who would come to know and or encounter him.
But all of this would far from detour my father from his life as a soldier of and for the people of this nation. He next enlisted into the newly born "Army Air Corps" for three years, and then reenlisted back into the Army's 31st Infantry where he next would voluntarily go into the Korean Conflict. During this era of his life, my father was again "Pro Patria", this time in the armored personnel carrier aspect of the 31st. My father was acting Lieutenant while in the Korean Conflict of his unit and too was the primary mechanic for all the vehicles they were using during the battles. Ultimately an irrepairable injury would remove my father short before the completion and victory in that war, but it wouldn't remove him from the service.
It would be in 1956 that my father would ultimately honorably discharge from the active "Regular service" of the military, but even then it was not a completion as he enlisted and served 9 years and 10 months more in the United States air force Reserve. This service would overlap his additional careers in both ITT Tech as a teacher as well as his position as an Inspector for Howard Hughes Aircraft, which is significant, but too, more significant is that it would also overlap part of his initial employment with the US DOD as well, and my father specifically on more than one occasion was utilized by both the Air Force as well as the DOD for their own personal ventures contracting together in the Aerospace program.
My mothers life on the other hand, was not so "exciting" or "extravagant" as most common folks in society were not as the life of those like my fathers, especially females. My mother was born youngest of 4 children on the tail end of the Great Depression in Los Angeles city and county California, and for the most part lived a typical normal life. She went to and graduated from Los Angeles High School and proceeded into college with the goal of becoming a doctor.
Scholastically my mother did very well, however, upon the assignment of disecting a frog, she quickly realized that she didn't cope well with wounds or blood so ultimately she quit medical school in the beginning of her 3rd year, got married to a navy man and began her life as a mother and a home maker.
During the war, my mother went to work for McDonald Douglas aircraft where she worked her way up from a "Rosey Riviter" to an inspector of aircraft manufacturing and assembly. By the birth of her 4th son, she took on an additional job as a bartender. Within ten years, my mother was divorced and then working 3 jobs total in effort of providing for her sons as a single mother.
Life was not perfect, nor what she even strived for it to be for she and the boys, but ultimately she did the best that she could, and overall for the most part, things seemed to have turned out alright more than not for them. She lost her eldest son in 1965 at the age of 16, and again, things including herself and her sons were not perfect, but they were ok and thats what ultimately matters.
By the time my mother and father got together, my fathers present marriage was at it's end, as was my mothers second marriage then legally ended. They met while working as inspectors, my mother of McDonald Douglas and my father of the DOD contracting aircraft from McDonald Douglas.
When my mother discovered she was pregnant with me, my father decided that she would devote her time to being our home-maker and my mother and that he alone would be the working supporter financially providing for all of our living. That is how our family unit functioned from that point forward until one by one they both crossed over to happy hunting grounds, leaving me alone as the last of our family tree here upon mother globe as a representation of our family and DNA.
My father retired from the government when I was 8 years old... until they blew up the Space Shuttle Columbia - That set him off into an uproar and he returned to work as QAR for the DOD's Aerospace program for another 2 1/2 years until he refused to wear a tie to work and ultimately they forced "mandatory retirement" upon him. Short after that, they blew up the second of the 2 shuttles he'd built while I was a child, and in frustration, that, along with other personal family issues going on within our family, he ultimately decided to move us up to the Pacific Northwest, into the capitol city of the state of Oregon... I was 12 1/2 years old when this move happened.
For me personally, that move was a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder situation as life in the Pacific Northwest was extremely different from life as I knew it as a kid growing up in southern California, especially in the Los Angeles county area!
By the age of 6, I had established my mother into her own business as a house and apartment cleaner, which I also worked along side her doing, and too, by the age of 8 I had also created and helped to establish a company as a balloon catering service with a neighboring family of mine in "the trailer hood", both which were soaring toward success. My mother and I had additionally made a side business reviving and then selling plants at the local swap meet every weekend to which we would bring in on average $800-1,000.00 per weekend.
Life in Oregon was completely different as well too as completely Opposite of life as she and I knew it to be, and because of the trauma of that indifference, we for the most part never really recovered enough to readjust and then progress in a forward direction, mentally nor economically.
Because of the vast differences, and my mental struggles with and resulting from the transition, again I found myself as the "Minority", though this time not because of my skin color as it was in southern California, but this time because I was a "Native Californian", and especially one "From Los Angeles". Oregonians, especially back then, Feared California and all "Our people" represented as far as living life as they knew life was to be lived.
Being out-casted for this reason, in addition to the discovery that I began struggling excessively with Dyslexia made it very hard for me to maintain my course regarding school. This is when I became a "Dual resident", meaning I lived in both Southern California as well as the state of Oregon. Since then I continue to bounce between the two states trying to make my way on the good medicine road through life to the best of my ability.
By the age of 13 as the balloon business was reaching what would be it's peak or prime, I was "Supervisor" over the catering crew of 40, as well as "Manager" of the shoppe we had established and growing in the La Brea Mall down in So-Cal, and too I was predominently helping to raise the two children of my partners who'd officiated the company back because i myself was too young.
By the age of 16, as we lost that company due to the couples divorce, I was gaining credentials by the state of Oregon under Dr. Gary Jensen of New York State as a "Certified" Counselor" for "Reality Therapy"., though scholastically speaking, my major was Econimics and my minor field of study was Law, both in which I was greatly "naturally excelling" in near to the Top of my class!
By the age of 17, life as I knew it would again forever be changed by situations and factors out of and beyond my own personal control, as it would then be determined medically that internally there was something severely Wrong with my body... and by the age of 19, after years of serious and various tests, studies, and specialists, it was concluded that I "Would not live to see age 20". Long story short of it is that because I was born 6 weeks premature, with serious medical complications because of that such as being literally born without lungs, I have what is known as "Bronchial Pulminary Displasia (BPD), which is a permanent and un-fixable lung disease/disorder, ultimately preventing me from consuming as much air as most do in order to keep their body physically alive as the "Breath" IS "Life" being lived after all.
Basically in short, where most people consume 99-100% air into their bodies, I am only able to consume 75%, meaning it is more of a struggle and a strain for me to breathe compared to most others. Living with this reality had me in hospitals almost as much as I was in classrooms growing up, and too, hindered me physically from freely living as other healthy children did and could.
also too, because of being born with BPD and so prematurely, I have what is called "Pigeon chest" meaning that my rib cage at my chest did Not develop properly in bone structure because of the fact that my lungs were literally missing when I was physically born. As a result, when I get exhilarated and begin to breathe harder than normal, like say, I had to run a blocks distance... my organs (heart and lings) literally bump and bang into my chests bones causing tremendous extreme pain as if I were having a severe heart attack.
But as if this wasn't enough of a set back for a child to grow up enduring, because the umbilical cord was tightly wrapped around my throat 3 times and was preventing me from getting food and air, apparently didn't help things for me either as I entered into this world. And the icing on the cake that was my birth too, is that I have a murmur in one of the main ventricles going into my heart - a condition that literally contributed to the death of my mothers 16 year old son back before I was born.
Despite it all, set-back and obstacle wise I mean, my life has overall turned out fairly well for the most part considering. Thus far (knocn on wood) I have defied the multitude of physicians and specialists and have lived well beyond the age of 20 which they all Swore at age 19 I would "Not possibly" be able to physically do. In addition to accrediting that to Great Creator, I also give the credit due to Mother earth and Mother Nature for their making it not only possible but my reality, and my credit in them comes from the persistence and influence of one man alone... Mr. Jack Herer, best known as "The Founding Father of the Global Cannabis & Hemp Movement."
At age 19 with all the doctors and specialists Convinced that their was no Possible way that my body would or could sustain living beyond the age of 20, I was fortunate to have been brought together by the will of Great Creator with Jack Herer, though truthfully at the time, I had no Idea who he was or what he had been long devoting his life too... the defense and liberation of Cannabis, commonly known and referred to as "Marijuana".
Because I had began using cannabis to attain physical as well as psychological relief from my medical ailments such as the intense persistent pains and muscle spasms never-ending throughout my body, as well as my lack of appetite due to my body deciding it was going ahead and shutting itself down from the inside out, Cannabis benefited those among a great many other of my symptoms, including my mental capacity being able to "Cope" with the fact being that my body had declared itself my enemy.
While standing up for that reality personally, I found myself led by friends, into what's called "The cannabis community and movement"... specifically at the very first ever of it's kind "World Hemp Expo" which established in Harrisburg, Oregon by a man named William "Bill" Conde... wild Bill as we who know him well call him. Bill was the only Redwood mill in the Pacific Northwest, and as such, he became intertwined with the man who is accredited for single-handedly revolutionizing the world to the reality of the necessity and benefits of cannabis... Jack Herer.
Together Bill and Jack along with a small handful of others initiated the World Hemp expo, grandmother of every single hempfest and cannabis event of it's kind flourishing around the globe today. It was during this event that I would go down due to a Heat Stroke, and would fall into the hands and care, and in turn, under the wing of Jack Herer personally himself as he personally provided all my medical care the entire 3 day weekend duration of the event.
From this point forward, 1998 still presently to date, I have been known as being a "Front Line" freedom fighting activist attempting to defend as well as preserve Cannabis and we the living creations ability to freely choose whether or not to use and have accessibility to it. We achieved the rights of medicinal Cannabis in the states of Oregon and Washington that year, as well too as in Colorado and Alaska, paving the way for the now presently 28 states who have since implimented medicinal cannabis into their states laws, and ultimately too, paved the way for industrial as well as recreational cannabis acceptance within the laws of our land as well.
Along our way, Jack and I became Extremely close to one another personally, to the point that even my own father was Jealous at the personal parent/child relationship that had began flourishing between he and I over those next 13 Years we worked together for our common cause... Cannabis liberation. Because of being so close with Jack, too came and remains responsibility and obligations that I made to him in regards to it... one being to do all I personally possibly could to protect the plant and those in need of it.
Ultimately, it is this that led me into "religion" as Jack Insisted that ultimately, once cannabis became proven as financially exploitable, it would be "religion alone that will save our plant and people." Though I personally at the time did not understand nor Agree with that being our only "feesable option", ultimately as time has gone by, Jack continues to prove himself right in that it's likely going to prove to be one of the Only ways to attempt to Preserve our right to accessing and utilizing cannabis, sad as it is to have to say.
Because of Jack, I met a great many wonderful people throughout these years of my "Borrowed time" life, and too, I've learned a great many things about life and how this wonderful plant could so greatly benefit it, not just for myself or even we the human beings alone, but literally All life, all plants, animals and even mother globe! I've also had the pleasure and opportunity of meeting many VIP type people who like Jack but in different degrees too have single-handedly greatly impacted and changed our world for the better, one of those being Doctor Phillip Leveque (rest his soul) who was a physician beyond measure and one of the first and few successful brain surgeons to ever live on the planet!
Through men like Jack and Doc Leveque, as well as other influential people such as D. Paul Stanford another ling time front line cannabis activist who has progressed our movement and community to the levels we have reached presently today in regards to the social acceptability of cannabis, I was also blessed with meeting people such as media VIP's Tim and Bonnie King, founders of Salem-News which was our nations first ever privately ran online news media of it's kind.
In 2010 I was blessed with the gifted opportunity of becoming a reporter for Salem-News and since have been promoted to "Photo Journalist" and specifically assigned to help oversee the "Cannabis Declassified" section of the news team. Though I haven't been able to devote as much time, attention or effort into that endeavor as I planned nor still intend to do, I am and remain Very proud of having attained that respected position with Salem-News and hope to really be able to have it show by the time everything's said and done regarding it's success.
It was also in 2010 that I was gifted ordainment into the United Cannabis Ministries (UCM) as a minister under the Reverends Steven and Seeva Cherms of central california. Short after this, while literally In court trying to protect Jack Herer, I suffered a major stroke along with a few minor ones called "TIA's". Short after that, Jack crossed over to the happy hunting grounds though not by his nor my choice by a long shot. So, as a result, I took this time and sat down and wrote the first ever book I authored entitled "Hemperor Herer" which was focused on the birth, life and ultimately the murder of Jack Herer in 2010.
In 2011 I publicly released that book officially at the Seattle Hempfest, the biggest "Pot Festival" in the World even according to the Guinness Book of World Records! But it wasn't until that fest in 2013 that again my life would take a forever serious change of direction, when I was literally giving up on the concept of their being actual Success in the liberation of cannabis, opposed to the "Sell Out" position society is and continues to take regarding the plant and users.
It was at this fest that I believe Jack helped to lead James Warren 'Flaming eagle' into my life and world... because he Knew I was frustrated enough to be forever done with it and that ultimately if I Did walk away, there would be no alternative coarse to this sellout direction being taken. According to Flaming Eagle, after months of smoke, prayers and meditation, I was the one that the elder spirits told him was needed to step forward and become the martyr for cannabis protection within Oklevueha Native American Church.
At this time, I was already an ordained minister of UCM as well as having attained 7 additional ordainment's from different faiths as well as had incorporated my own church titled "Soldiers of Jah Ministries", commonly known and referred to as "The Jack Church" as it predominantly taught from his unpublished manuscript legally awarded to my control titled in short "The Most High."Basically in short, Jack spent more than 20 years decoding the bible and properly factoring in the earth based plant sacraments cannabis as well as mushrooms into their proper placement within "religion" and "religious practice".
All of these credentials I absorbed into my new position as "Sachem" (Chief) of my new gift, Oklevueha Native American Church Kautantowit's Mecautea, which officially birthed in the Pacific Northwest September 1st 2013 as an independent sapling off of Oklevueha Earth Walks Native american Church of Spanish Fork Utah. Since this and the acomplishments and strides since, I have been gifted with a second independent sapling off of Oklevueha based in Central California totled Oklevueha Native American Church of the Wahupta Oyate, which is Sioux for "Cannabis Nation". Of this branch I have asked that I be titled as President and that the Sachem (Chief Executive Officer) of it be Reverend Steven Cherms and in June of 2015 it was officiated as so.
From here I progressed forward, as best as I could within my means as to what degree my physical body dictates and allows me to do. I supported ONAC KM thus far completely on my Social Security as well as what's left of my families estate. To date I have one of the biggest membership rolls of all the independent branches off Oklevueha, and too have been titled "Emissary" as well as "Spokesperson" for the whole of Oklevueha Native American Church through to the present time.
That, in a nutshell is the basic summary that explains my life thus far, though obviously there is more detail, facts and memories that fit into the picture that is my life here on mother globe thus far, as well as many more that are sure to come. This however gives you a basic overview of my life and that which has molded me into the person now presented before you. If any have any questions for me I am More than happy to do my best to answer them, just let me know.
Until we meet, I thank you for taking the time to inquire about me and my life as well as my goals and objectives and perspectives in it, and I am honored to stand beside all of the like-minded and especially the front line defenders of this plant as well as our Creator given rights not only to use it but most importantly of all, those of you who are willing to stand up and attempt to defend as well as preserve ALL of our Creator given rights to liberties and freedom... I thank you, and look forward to one day meeting you and shaking your hand... maybe even getting a picture or two with you.
Then Oklevueha proved itself to be but a mirage of an honorable Native American Church. Fortunately for Kautantowit's Mecautea, our efforts and integrity did Not go un-noticed. On November 27th in the year 2017, I was blessed with official ordainment by the Native American Church of the Morning Star and Half Moon. Kautantowit's Mecautea was also gifted with the blessing of a Charter re-enforcing it and we as a Native American Church.
About this time I was also fully adopted as the signatory chief's daughter of the Tuscarora Indian Nation! Here is our tribes main page if you wanna check it out:
http://tuscaroraindiantribe.com/
From there, I was gifted with the position as a Director of The Sovran Tuscarora Nation and Native American Church, which is rooted in Ontario, Canada.
Until that day, I would like to say Thank You for your efforts, and encourage you to continue fighting the good fight because ultimately we ARE winning, my goal is to try to ensure that we win in the Right way though, for the sake of the whole and in ensuring that which is right and just prevails above all else including the corporate greed when it comes to our ability to freely choose our quality of Life here upon mother world. Also I thank you for your time as well as your interest in what's going on.
Blessings in abundance to you all, and I look forward to standing among as well as for you. Namaste.
Right on, you wanna reach out and connect with/contact me! Here are some of the best possible ways to do so ~ I look forward to hearing from you!
My primary email remains: joy.m.graves@gmail.com
My most secure email is: hawkeyegraves@protonmail.com
For security reasons, the best way to reach me via phone is through my Mecautea Emissary Wolfbrother Minter at: (503) 910-6612
For security reasons, the best way to reach me via phone is through my Mecautea Emissary Wolfbrother Minter at: (503) 910-6612