In November 1954, the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial was unveiled at a dedication ceremony in Washington, D.C. President Dwight Eisenhower praised the Pima Marine as “a national war hero.” Just 10 weeks later, Hayes died near his home in Sacaton, Ariz. He was 32 .
Did Ira Hayes receive the Medal of Honor?
Over 20 American Indians were awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor. Ira was given many awards for his service including the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars, American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. ... Military service was one way to accomplish this.
Did Ira Hayes have any kids?
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.
Did Ira Hayes marry?
Ira Hayes did not marry . After his return from combat, Hayes and other Marines from the flag raising were utilized in nationwide war loan drives. Sadly, Hayes suffered from post traumatic stress disorder from his combat experiences and self medicated with heavy drinking. Hayes died in 1955 at the age of only 32.
Did Ira Hayes survive the war?
Hayes was one of only 27 members of a company of 250 to survive the battle on Mount Suribachi . ... Ten years after the war, at age 32, Hayes’ body was found lying in a small creek. He had died of exposure after getting into a drunken fight during a poker game.
Was Ira Hayes a drunk?
Ira was also in several films about Iwo Jima. On the morning of Jan. 24, 1955, Hayes was found dead, passed out and drunk in a ditch where he had fallen the night before. ... He died drunk early one mornin’, Alone in the land he fought to save, two inches of water in a lonely ditch was a grave for Ira Hayes.”
Is Ira Hayes a hero?
Ira Hayes was the first Marine paratrooper from the Pima tribe who became a hero for his bravery during the Battle of Iwo Jima, but the scars of war were simply too deep for him to overcome.
Most people have heard of the famous Navajo (or Diné) code talkers who used their traditional language to transmit secret Allied messages in the Pacific theater of combat during World War II.
Who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi?
First Lieutenant George Greeley Wells , who had been the Second Battalion, 28th Marines adjutant officially in charge of the two American flags flown on Mount Suribachi, stated in The New York Times in 1991 that Lieutenant Colonel Johnson ordered Wells to get the second flag, and that Wells sent Rene Gagnon, his ...
Is the movie Flags of Our Fathers historically accurate?
Chuck Melson is chief historian of the U.S. Marine Corps. He says Eastwood’s film is historically true to events , including its depiction of the war-bond drive, the spectacular scenes of ships coming to Iwo Jima, and the congestion on the beach during the invasion.
Was Ira Hayes a code talker?
The Navajo Code Talkers were even more patriotic than is told because at the time of their military service they did not have the right to vote. ... Another famous soldier who did not have the right to vote during World War II was Marine Cpl. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona, who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima.
Who are the soldiers in the Iwo Jima Memorial?
Three of the six Marines in the photograph— Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block, and Private First Class Franklin Sousley —were killed in action during the battle; Block was identified as Sergeant Hank Hansen until January 1947 and Sousley was identified as PhM2c. John Bradley, USN, until June 2016.
Who wrote the Ira Hayes song?
“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” is a song written by folk singer Peter La Farge . Its words tell the story of Ira Hayes, one of the six marines who became famous for having raised the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
What war did Ira Hayes fight in?
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 many Japanese soldiers were killed during the Battle of Okinawa?
In total, an estimated 110,000 Japanese troops were killed, whereas fewer than 8,000 surrendered. The civilian population of Okinawa was reduced by perhaps one-fourth; 100,000 Okinawan men, women, and children perished in the fighting or committed suicide under orders from the Japanese military.
