After a night of heavy drinking on January 23–24, 1955, he died of exposure to cold and alcohol poisoning. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is a United States military cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., in whose 624 acres the dead of the nation's conflicts have been buried, beginning with the Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars…
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Where did Ira Hayes actually die?
Bapchule, AZIra Hamilton Hayes / Place of deathBapchule is an unincorporated community in northern Pinal County, Arizona, United States. It lies in the Gila River Indian Community, south of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Wikipedia
Is The Ballad of Ira Hayes a true story?
"The Ballad of Ira Hayes" is a folk song by Peter La Farge. Ira Hayes was a Pima Native American and one of the Marines in the famous photo from Iwo Jima. However, following his heroic deeds during World War II, Hayes battled alcoholism and an unhappy life on a reservation in America.
How old was Ira Hayes when he died?
32 years (1923–1955)Ira Hamilton Hayes / Age at death
Was Ira Hayes a code talker?
Working around the clock, six code talkers flawlessly communicated 800 messages. Ira Hayes, a Native American (Pima) paratrooper, was one of six Marines who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima.
What happened to the guys that raised the flag on Iwo Jima?
Strank and Block were killed on March 1, six days after the flag-raising, Strank by a shell, possibly fired from an offshore American destroyer and Block a few hours later by a mortar round. Sousley was shot and killed by a Japanese sniper on March 21, a few days before the island was declared secure.
Did Ira Hayes help raise the flag on Iwo Jima?
Bapchule, Arizona, U.S. Hayes was generally known as one of the six flag raisers immortalized in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by photographer Joe Rosenthal.
Which Battle was worse Okinawa or Iwo Jima?
According to the official Navy Department Library website, "The 36-day (Iwo Jima) assault resulted in more than 26.000 American casualties, including 6.800 dead." By comparison, the much larger scale 82-day Battle for Okinawa lasting from early April until mid-June 1945 and U.S. (5 Army and 2 Marine Corps Divisions) ...
What kind of Indian was Ira Hayes?
Pima Indian MarineIra Hayes was a Pima Indian Marine and one of the last surviving members of the Iwo Jima flag raising in World War II. Born in January 1923, Ira Hamilton Hayes hailed from a Pima Indian family on the Gila River Reservation near Sacaton, Ariz., as the eldest of six children.
Who was the Indian at Iwo Jima?
Pfc. Ira HayesOn Feb. 23, 1945, Marine Corps Pfc. Ira Hayes, a 22-year-old Pima Indian from Arizona, achieved immortal fame as one of the six flag raisers in the iconic World War II photo and film taken atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, a small island in the Western Pacific.
Who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima?
It was the fourth day of fighting in the Battle of Iwo Jima when 3rd platoon leader 1st Lt. Harold George Schrier received the battalion's American flag and orders to raise it on the summit of Mt. Suribachi and set up an observation post.
What were Windtalkers?
They were the ones to provide communications for the US Marine Corps stationed in the South Pacific. Former Navajo code talker Thomas Begay's legacy in the military service continued on with his sone, Ronald Begay, who followed in his footsteps as a soldier. The younger Begay served as a US Airborne Ranger.
Did Ira Hayes win the Medal of Honor?
Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian from Arizona who enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942. On February 23, 1945, Ira Hayes was one of six marines who raised the U. S. Flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. The event was immortalized by photographer Joe Rosenthal. For his actions, Ira Hayes was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Who wrote The Ballad of Ira Hayes?
Peter La FargeThe Ballad of Ira Hayes / LyricistPeter La Farge was a New York City-based folksinger and songwriter of the 1950s and 1960s. He is known best for his affiliations with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Wikipedia
Did Ira Hayes raise the flag?
Hayes went on to worldwide fame, captured in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of six U.S. Marines raising an American flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He was the one at the far left reaching for the flagpole.
How did Ira Hayes die?
In the film The Outsider, his death is dramatized for the screen. He is shown drunk and freezing on a mountain top and unable to climb down. He falls asleep and is shown frozen to death with his arm and hand reaching upwards, like the time he raised the flag on Mount Suribachi. In the song " The Ballad of Ira Hayes ", he was described as being drunk and drowning in two inches of water in a ditch.
Who was Ira Hayes?
Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a Pima Native American and a United States Marine during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Pima Indian Reservation, located in Pinal and Maricopa counties in Arizona. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on ...
What was Corporal Hayes' duty?
Although often under heavy enemy fire, Corporal HAYES carried out his duties during all these campaigns in a highly commendable manner. Regardless of danger of personal fatigue he worked tirelessly, and his efforts greatly aided his unit in accomplishing its assigned missions. His courage, initiative, and loyal devotion to duty continually set an example for all who served with him, and his conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Where did the Hayes kids go to school?
The Hayes children attended grade school in Sacaton and high school at the Phoenix Indian School in Phoenix, Arizona. Hayes confided to his classmate Eleanor Pasquale after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, that he was determined to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
What did Pasquale say about World War II?
Pasquale said, "Every morning in school, [the students] would get a report on World War II. We would sing the anthems of the Army, Marines, and the Navy .". Hayes completed two years at the Phoenix Indian School and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in May and June 1942.
What is Ira Hayes's personality?
Ira was remembered by his family and friends as being a shy and sensitive child. Sara Bernal , his niece, said, "Ira Hayes was a very quiet man; he would go days without saying anything unless you spoke to him first. The other Hayes children would play and tease me, but not Ira. He was quiet, and somewhat distant. Ira didn't speak unless spoken to. He was just like his father." His boyhood friend Dana Norris said, "Even though I'm from the same culture, I could never get under his skin. Ira had the characteristic of not wanting to talk. But we Pimas are not prone to tooting our own horns. Ira was a quiet guy, such a quiet guy." Despite this, Hayes was a precocious child who displayed an impressive grasp of the English language, a language that many Pima never learned to speak. He learned to read and write by the age of four and was a voracious reader.
Where was Ira Hayes born?
Ira Hayes was born in Sacaton, Arizona, a town in the Gila River Indian Community in Pinal County. He was the eldest of six children born to Nancy Hamilton (1901–1972) and Joseph Hayes (1887–1978). The Hayes children were: Ira (1923–1955), Harold (1924–1925), Arlene (1926–1929), Leonard (1927–1952), Vernon (1929–1958), and Kenneth (1931–2019). Joseph Hayes was a World War I veteran who supported his family by subsistence farming and its cotton harvesting. Nancy Hayes was a devout Presbyterian and a Sunday school teacher at the Assemblies of God church in Sacaton.
How did Ira Hayes die?
The coroner ruled that his death was the result of alcohol poisoning and exposure. He was just 32 years old.
Where was Ira Hayes born?
Ira Hayes was born to Nancy and Jobe on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona in 1923. Both of his parents were members of the Pima Indian tribe, who had lived in the area since well before the first Europeans encountered them in the late 17th century. The year of their son’s birth, Nancy and Jobe were still not classified by ...
What was the name of the battle that sealed Hayes' place in history?
But it would be the bloody battle of Iwo Jima that sealed Hayes’ place in history.
How many men survived the Battle of Hayes?
Rather than embrace his publicity tour as his golden ticket out of the war, Hayes longed to return to his comrades and battle. He never felt comfortable being called a hero, when, as he explained it, “only five men in my platoon of 45 survived, when only 27 men in my company of 250 managed to escape death or injury.”.
Why did Hayes turn to alcohol?
Hayes turned to alcohol to try and help ease the pain of his survivor’s guilt and the traumas he had experienced. He came to regret being part of the historic photo, once despairing, “Sometimes I wish that guy had never made that picture.”
When did Ira Hayes meet with the President?
Ira Hayes and the other flag-raisers were ordered to Washington, D.C. to meet with the president in April 1945. The Marines still fighting in the Pacific had not realized that Rosenthal’s picture (and they along with it) became famous immediately upon its publication, appearing on front pages across the U.S.
Did the Hayeses have an American flag?
Despite their lack of recognition by the government, the Hayeses proudly kept an American flag displayed on a wall in their home. Wikimedia Commons A Pima woman in Arizona in 1902. Ira was a quiet child and according to acquaintances, he “could be in another’s presence for hours without talking.”. Despite his silence, Ira had a sharp mind ...
What was Ira Hayes's life like after the war?
Family & Personal Life. Ira Hayes attempted to lead a quiet life after the war, but his solitude at the reservation was regularly broken by curious visitors who wanted to meet the Native American war hero.
Where was Ira Hayes born?
Childhood & Early Life. Ira Hamilton Hayes was born on January 12, 1923, in Sacaton, the capital of the Gila River Indian Community in Pinal County, Arizona, the United States.
Why was Hayes arrested?
Hayes, who gave in to drinking and was arrested 52 times from various public places for intoxication, was disturbed by the fact that so many of his good friends had died in the war. He took up various odd jobs, including driving for Elizabeth Martin, former wife of Dean Martin, but could not hold on to the jobs because of his alcoholism.
Who took Hayes and Block?
Sergeant Michael Strank, with orders to take supplies up Mount Suribachi, took Hayes, Corporal Harlon Block and Private First Class Franklin Sousley on patrol duty in the evening of February 23, 1945.
Who were the two siblings of Ira Hayes?
Two of his siblings, Harold and Arlene, died as babies, while two others, Leonard and Vernon, died before reaching the age of 30. Ira Hayes, who had learned to read and write by the time he was four, was a quiet kid who read extensively and became one of few Pimas with good understanding of the English language.
Did Hayes fight with Henry Setoyant?
While no autopsy was conducted, it was revealed by his brothers that he became involved in an altercation with Henry Setoyant, a Pima Indian, the previous night, but he denied fighting with Hayes.
How did Ira Hayes die?
He suffered from PTSD and became an alcoholic and died young of exposure and alcohol poisoning on January 24, 1955, at the age of only 32 and is buried with full honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
Where was Ira Hayes born?
Ira Hayes was a Pima Indian born in Sacaton, Arizona, in the Gila River Indian Community within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in Pinal and (our own) Maricopa counties. He was the eldest of six children born to Nancy Hamilton and Joseph Hayes.
How far would Ira Hayes have been without her?
Without Ira Hayes walking and hitchhiking those 1300 miles the truth of who was really in that famous photo would have probably never been known.
When did Johnny Cash sing Ira Hayes?
Ever since Johnny Cash sang a ballad about Ira Hayes in 1964, when I was only 6 years old, Ira Hayes has been one of my heroes. My dad bought a new 1967 Thunderbird and we used to sit in the driveway and listen to 8 track tapes, one of which was the Johnny Cash tape with the song about Ira Hayes.
Did Ira Hayes get help?
It is such a shame that so little was known about PTSD in those days and that Ira Hayes never got the help he needed.
How did Ira Hayes get upset?
Despite his best efforts, he continually received fan mail and received visitors asking about the flag raising on Iwo Jima. Not too long after returning home, Hayes started to become upset or “troubled” that Harlon Block was not given credit for raising the flag on Iwo Jima (KIA several days after the action) and was mistaken for another Marine, Hank Hansen. In order to resolve the matter, Hayes would hitch hike more than 1,300 miles from the Gila River
What did Hayes suffer from?
As recently as 2006 in the Flags of Our Fathers movie directed by Clint Eastwood, it has been suggested that Hayes suffered from what is known today as posttraumatic stress disorder.
What was the name of the battle that Ira Hayes took part in?
During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Ira Hayes was made famous by taking part in the flag raising on Iwo Jima on February 23 rd, 1945 after being part of the initial invasion of the island on February 19 th, 1945.
Why was Ira Hayes arrested?
After the conclusion of WW2, Ira Hayes would be arrested 52 times for being drunk in public. He is attributed publicly to stating that he was “about to crack up thinking about all my good buddies.
How did Kenneth Hayes die?
The official coroner report from Pinal County stated that Hayes’ death was a result of alcohol poisoning and exposure; however, Kenneth Hayes states that he thinks the death came from the fight with Setoyant.
Where is Hayes buried?
Today, Hayes can be found buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 34, Grave 479A. During his funeral, Rene Gagnon is attributed with stating: “Let’s say he had a little dream in his heart that someday the Indian would be like the white man — be able to walk all over the United States.”
Where is Ira Hayes' tombstone?
These include: The tombstone of Ira Hayes at Arlington National Cemetery.
Overview
Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was an Akimel O'odham Native American and a United States Marine during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, located in Pinal and Maricopa counties in Arizona. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on August 26, 1941, and, after recruit training, volunteered to become a
Early life
Ira Hayes was born in Sacaton, Arizona, a town in the Gila River Indian Community in Pinal County. He was the eldest of six children born to Nancy Whitaker (1901–1972) and Joseph Hayes (1901–1986). The Hayes children were: Ira (1923–1955), Harold (1924–1925), Leonard (1925–1962), Kenneth (1931–2019), Arlene (1933-1938) and Vernon (1937–1957). Joseph Hayes was a World War I veteran who supported his family by subsistence farming and its cotton harves…
US Marine Corps
Hayes enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on August 26, 1942. He completed recruit training in Platoon 701 at Marine Corps Base, San Diego (renamed in 1948 to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego) and in October volunteered for Marine paratrooper (Paramarine) training at the Marine Parachute School at Camp Gillespie located east of San Diego. Ira Hayes became the first Pima in h…
Post World War II
Hayes attempted to lead a normal civilian life after the war. "I kept getting hundreds of letters. And people would drive through the reservation, walk up to me and ask, 'Are you the Indian who raised the flag on Iwo Jima?'" Although Hayes rarely spoke about the flag raising, he talked more generally about his service in the Marine Corps with great pride.
Death
On the morning of January 24, 1955, Hayes was found dead lying near an abandoned adobe hut near where he lived in Sacaton, Arizona. He had been drinking and playing cards on the reservation with his friends and brothers Vernon and Kenneth. An altercation ensued between Hayes and a Pima Indian named Henry Setoyant, and all left except Hayes and Setoyant. The Pinal Coun…
Marine Corps War Memorial
The Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia, was dedicated on November 10, 1954. The monument was sculptured by Felix de Weldon from the image of the second flag raising on Mount Suribachi. Ira Hayes is depicted as the sixth bronze figure from the base of the flagstaff on the memorial with the 32 foot (9.8 M) bronze figures of the other five flag-raisers d…
Military awards
Hayes' Navy Commendation Ribbon was updated to the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V" for meritorious service. He rates the Navy Combat Action Ribbon for combat participation in World War II. The 5⁄16" silver star on his Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon was a Marine Corps, World War II, campaign participation star (discontinued) for Iwo Jima, not a second Presidential Unit Citation award (3⁄16" bronze star). Hayes did not meet the Marine Corp…
Portrayal in music, film and literature
Hayes's story was immortalized in the song "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" by Peter LaFarge, which was subsequently covered by numerous artists including Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger, Townes Van Zandt, and Bob Dylan. In 1964, Cash took the song to number 3 on the Billboard country music chart.
Ira Hayes appeared as himself in the 1949 John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima. …