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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.
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.
Was Ira Hayes a hero?
The two surviving flag raisers, Hayes and Gagnon, became national heroes. After the war, Hayes made numerous public appearances and was lauded by the public for his service. Despite the accolades, Hayes never felt at ease in the spotlight and felt that he shouldn't be placed above his fallen comrades.
What did Ira Hayes suffer from?
post-traumatic stress disorderHe suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and descended into alcoholism. On November 10, 1954, he attended the dedication of the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, which was modeled after the photograph of Hayes and five other Marines raising the second flag on Iwo Jima.
What rank did Ira Hayes attain?
Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Pima Indian Reservation (1859) located in the Pinal and Maricopa counties in Arizona....Obi-Wan Takes the High Ground! - The Loop.Ira Hamilton HayesService/branchUnited States Marine CorpsYears of service1942–1945RankCorporal12 more rows
Did they use real footage in Sands of Iwo Jima?
Sands of Iwo Jima was groundbreaking in 1949 for its mixing of Hollywood re-creations with actual footage of World War II combat.
Did Ira Hayes Get 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 lifted the flag at Iwo Jima?
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.
Was Okinawa worse than Iwo Jima?
Kamikazes would sink dozens of US warships and kill nearly 5,000 sailors during fighting around Okinawa. Total American casualties at Okinawa during three months of fighting there would be nearly double those suffered at Iwo Jima. About 200,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians would die as well.
What happened to the flag at Iwo Jima?
The flags from the first and second flag-raisings are preserved in the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.
What happened to Harold Schultz after the war?
After being discharged from the Marines, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a mail sorter for the United States Postal Service until retiring in 1981. Schultz never had children.
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 ...
How did Ira die?
Unable to find peace of mind nor a steady job and with no one to provide him comfort, understanding, or therapeutic guidance, Ira drowned his sorrows in alcohol and became a drifter, a loner who found himself behind bars. He was found dead on the pavement near his home in Arizona on January 24, 1955, only 32 years old.
Where was Ira Hayes born?
Born on January 12, 1923, to a World War I veteran and a Presbyterian school teacher in Sacaton, Arizona, the capital and the very heart of the Gila River Indian Reserva tion, Ira Hayes was the oldest of six children. He was a quiet and withdrawn boy with an excellent understanding of the English language even when very young.
How many cities did Ira go through?
They were carried from town to town and paraded through the streets of no less than 32 cities. With many awarded medals as honorary gratifications for his sacrifices, but without proper care for the trauma he had suffered, Ira was left to cope alone and with the feeling of guilt trapped inside.
Where did Ira Hayes go to school?
Ira Hayes. In 1932, Ira and his family were forced out of their home–“The white man’s greed,” sang Johnny Cash–and relocated 12 miles northwest to Bapchule, where Ira continued his education at the Phoenix Indian School. Still the same shy Pima boy, he was an excellent student.
What did Ira's classmates say about him?
Former classmates would say, “ Ira wasn’t like the other guys. He was shy and never talked to us girls” and his family would describe him as “ quiet, and somewhat distant. ” He was a type of person who seemed to be immersed deep in his own thoughts, one who wouldn’t speak unless he is spoken to.
Who was the photographer who captured the Iwo Jima Memorial?
The image captured by photographer Joe Rosenthal became an iconic one, earning him a Pulitzer Prize. As for the story of the heroic Marine, his ended up being one of the saddest stories. Hayes was depicted on the Iwo Jima Memorial as one of six men raising the American flag on Iwo Jima. Author: Xephrail CC BY-SA 3.0.
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.
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), Arlene (1926–1929), Leonard (1927–1952), Vernon (1929–1958), Kenneth (1931–2019), and Vernon (1937–1957). Joseph Hayes was a World War I veteran who supported his family by subsistence …
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. …