Ira Hamilton Hayes
Ira Hamilton Hayes was born in Bapchule, Arizona, and grew up in a community with ties to both the Presbyterian and Catholic churches. He enlisted in the Marines before the age of twenty and served in the Pacific theater during World War II. Hayes became widely recognized after his participation in the iconic flag-raising photograph on Iwo Jima, which symbolized American patriotism during the war. Despite this recognition, his post-war life was marked by challenges; he often felt exploited as a patriotic figure and was vocal about the injustices faced by American Indians, including his own Pima tribe. After the war, Hayes struggled with alcoholism and found it difficult to secure stable employment, ultimately working in low-paying jobs. He passed away at the young age of thirty-two, having succumbed to the harsh realities of life after war. His story highlights the complexities of veteran identity and the ongoing issues of discrimination and support for Indigenous peoples in America.
Ira Hamilton Hayes
- Born: January 12, 1923
- Birthplace: Bapchule, near Sacaton, Arizona
- Died: January 24, 1955
- Place of death: Bapchule, Arizona
Category: U.S. Marine
Tribal affiliation: Pima
Significance: Hayes was one of the men photographed raising the flag of the United States on Iwo Jima during World War II
Ira Hayes was born in the small village of Bapchule, near Phoenix, Arizona. His parents were members of the Presbyterian church at Bapchule, where Ira spent his childhood and youth, and he also had friends in the local Catholic church. Before he was twenty years old, Ira joined the Marines, and he was soon sent to serve in the Pacific theater during World War II. The turning point in Hayes’s life occurred when he was discovered to be one of the servicemen in the famous photograph recording the flag-raising on Iwo Jima Island.
After the war and his discharge from military service, Hayes was in demand as a speaker (or token presence) at patriotic gatherings and in the media. He knew that he was being exploited as a patriotic icon even as the Pima tribe and other Indians were suffering discriminatory treatment, and he spoke out against mistreatment of American Indians whenever he could. As a single individual, however, he could not accomplish much. With limited education, it was difficult for Hayes to find work, and he struggled throughout his life with alcoholism. His last job was picking cotton at three dollars per hundred pounds. Shortly after his thirty-second birthday, he was found dead of exposure in a field not far from his birthplace.