GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY — Seventy-seven years ago, Ira Hayes helped raise the U.S. flag on the island of Iwo Jima.
The historic moment was captured in a photo.
World War II was raging in the Pacific and once that photo hit the front page of pretty much every newspaper in the country, Hayes and his fellow U.S. Marines became national heroes.
Still, his bio on the United States Marine Corps University website doesn’t mention the photo or the fanfare that followed. It does note that Hayes is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Today, many people have seen the iconic photo but not all know that Hayes was a Pima man from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.
“My uncle is Ira Hayes and he was born here on the Gila River reservation in District 5, Bapchule,” said Kevin Whittaker, the family spokesperson.
His uncle was born Jan. 12, 1923.
Hayes attended the Phoenix Indian School, one of the government run boarding schools in the country, before enlisting in the Marines.
He was a paratrooper and would rise to the rank of corporal before being discharged in December 1945.
Hayes was always a reluctant hero, according to community members. Leonard Enos was nine when Ira Hayes passed away. Even as a youngster, Enos remembers talking to him about his fame.
“When he was asked about the heroes and me calling him a hero, he didn’t really enjoy that,” Enos said.
Hayes did motivate Enos to follow in his footsteps. Enos joined the Marine Corps in 1967 and fought in the Vietnam War.
“I think a lot of young men were inspired to go into the Marine Corps through Ira, which I was, you know.”
The Gila River Indian Community has several markers to honor Ira Hayes. The first one is at a Presbyterian church because Hayes followed that faith.
A street is also named after him but someone stole the sign.
And in the middle of Sacaton there’s a park that carries his name as well as Matthew B. Juan, another tribal citizen who served in the first World War.
And then there’s the American Legion Ira Hayes Post 84. Enos is a past commander.
They post colors at events like funerals for veterans, tribal meetings, and pageants. And around the anniversary of the flag raising, they usually have a two day event to honor Hayes. Native veterans come from across the country to participate. But the pandemic canceled the event last year and now this year.
“It was pretty hard the first year to cancel the event,” said Enos. He hopes that by 2023 they can once again have a parade, powwow and even a rodeo to mark this historic event.
This year Whittaker wants people to remember the character of Ira Hayes.
“He was a human being that I like to follow after because he was so honest and caregiving.”
Ira Hayes died Jan. 24,1955 after a night of drinking and gambling.
A quick search on the internet shows a number of photos, articles and videos of Hayes describing the reluctant hero who some say probably suffered from PTSD.
And even though he’s buried in Arlington, hundreds of miles from his birthplace, Enos chokes up and says, “He’s not forgotten. He’ll always be with us in spirit.”
GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY — Seventy-seven years ago, Ira Hayes helped raise the U.S. flag on the island of Iwo Jima.
The historic moment was captured in a photo.
World War II was raging in the Pacific and once that photo hit the front page of pretty much every newspaper in the country, Hayes and his fellow U.S. Marines became national heroes.
Still, his bio on the United States Marine Corps University website doesn’t mention the photo or the fanfare that followed. It does note that Hayes is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Today, many people have seen the iconic photo but not all know that Hayes was a Pima man from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.
“My uncle is Ira Hayes and he was born here on the Gila River reservation in District 5, Bapchule,” said Kevin Whittaker, the family spokesperson.
His uncle was born Jan. 12, 1923.
Hayes attended the Phoenix Indian School, one of the government run boarding schools in the country, before enlisting in the Marines.
He was a paratrooper and would rise to the rank of corporal before being discharged in December 1945.
Hayes was always a reluctant hero, according to community members. Leonard Enos was nine when Ira Hayes passed away. Even as a youngster, Enos remembers talking to him about his fame.
“When he was asked about the heroes and me calling him a hero, he didn’t really enjoy that,” Enos said.
Hayes did motivate Enos to follow in his footsteps. Enos joined the Marine Corps in 1967 and fought in the Vietnam War.
“I think a lot of young men were inspired to go into the Marine Corps through Ira, which I was, you know.”
The Gila River Indian Community has several markers to honor Ira Hayes. The first one is at a Presbyterian church because Hayes followed that faith.
A street is also named after him but someone stole the sign.
And in the middle of Sacaton there’s a park that carries his name as well as Matthew B. Juan, another tribal citizen who served in the first World War.
And then there’s the American Legion Ira Hayes Post 84. Enos is a past commander.
They post colors at events like funerals for veterans, tribal meetings, and pageants. And around the anniversary of the flag raising, they usually have a two day event to honor Hayes. Native veterans come from across the country to participate. But the pandemic canceled the event last year and now this year.
“It was pretty hard the first year to cancel the event,” said Enos. He hopes that by 2023 they can once again have a parade, powwow and even a rodeo to mark this historic event.
This year Whittaker wants people to remember the character of Ira Hayes.
“He was a human being that I like to follow after because he was so honest and caregiving.”
Ira Hayes died Jan. 24,1955 after a night of drinking and gambling.
A quick search on the internet shows a number of photos, articles and videos of Hayes describing the reluctant hero who some say probably suffered from PTSD.
And even though he’s buried in Arlington, hundreds of miles from his birthplace, Enos chokes up and says, “He’s not forgotten. He’ll always be with us in spirit.”