Ira Hayes
| Ira Hayes | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 12, 1923 Sacaton, Arizona |
| Died | January 24, 1955 Bapchule, Arizona |
| Status | Survived |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Service number | |
| Unit | Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division |
| Commands held | |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Iwo Jima |
| Awards | Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V", Presidential Unit Citation |
| Relations | |
| Later work | |
Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was a United States Marine and one of the six men who raised the second U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945 — the moment captured in Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph.
A Pima Native American and member of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, Hayes enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 and became the first Pima paratrooper before serving with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines. His identity as one of the flag raisers has never been in dispute.
Flag raising on Mount Suribachi
[edit]Hayes was one of the six Marines who raised the larger replacement flag on Mount Suribachi. After the battle he was pulled from combat and, with fellow survivors John Bradley and Rene Gagnon, sent home to take part in the Seventh War Loan bond tour, an experience he found deeply uncomfortable.
Legacy
[edit]Hayes struggled with the fame that followed and with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress in the years after the war. He died of exposure and alcohol poisoning at age 32 in 1955 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His life was memorialized in the song "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" and in film.