Ira Hayes: Life, Death, and Legacy
Thesis Question:
• Ira Hayes struggled with Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder due to his service in WWII.
Unfortunately, he was undiagnosed and struggled
with his trauma for years until his early death in
1955. This was during a time when Americans did
little to understand or help returning war
veterans with their issues stemming from war
trauma.
• Have the American government and the
American people changed in their treatment of
veterans in the years since WWII?
Ira Hayes: Early Life
• Born on January 12, 1923 on the Gila River
Indian Reservation near Sacaton, Arizona
• Family was part of the Pima Native American
Tribe
• Oldest of 4 children
• Parents were poor cotton farmers
• Sent to government boarding school as a
teenager
Ira Hayes: Military Service
• Enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 19
• Served as a Marine Paratrooper in the Bouganville Campaign
in 1943
• Unit disbanded in 1944 at which time he was assigned to the
5th Marine Division
• Shipped with the 5th Marine Division to the Battle of Iwo Jima
in 1945
Military Service Continued
• Invasion took place on February 19th, 1945
• 5 days later, Hayes was photographed by Joe Rosenthaul in
the infamous picture of the flag raising on Iwo Jima
• Hayes, John Bradley, and Rene Gagnon were shipped back to
the United States to raise support for the sale of war bonds
PTSD: Defintion
• A mental health condition which is triggered
by a traumatic event. Symptoms include
flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme anxiety.
• Tends to lead to drug and alcohol addiction,
trouble adjusting to society, anger issues,
joblessness, etc.
Hayes: Issues with PTSD
• Hayes, Bradley, and Gagnon were toured around the country
for the war bond drive
• Hayes began to struggle with issues relating to combat
• At this time he began to develop a serious drinking problem
• In the years following the war, Hayes struggled with alcohol
and was arrested 51 times in the 13 years before his death on
January 24th, 1955. He was 32 years old.
American response to service
members with PTSD
• At the time, PTSD was not a widely
understood condition
• Americans failed to understand and treat the
issues that many veterans struggled with
stemming from their war trauma
• Most veterans struggled internally without
help from government programs
American Approach to PTSD in Today’s
Society
• A much better understanding of PTSD overall
• Government programs specifically for war
veterans including; counseling, medical care,
job placement, financial aid, etc.
Conclusion
• Ira Hayes and his fellow veterans of WWII
were made to struggle with PTSD without any
aid from the American people. In the years
since, there has become a greater
understanding of PTSD among the American
people and the American government, which
has led to programs aimed specifically at
veterans. I consider this as the legacy of Ira
Hayes.