“They were better men than me”: Ira Hayes and the heavy price of surviving Iwo Jima

From Gila River Reservation to Iwo Jima’s Volcanic Peak

Marine Corporal Ira Hayes helped create one of America’s most famous photos on February 23, 1945, raising the flag on Mount Suribachi during Iwo Jima’s bloody battle. The 22-year-old Pima Indian from Arizona became an instant celebrity, but fame destroyed him.

Hayes died ten years later from alcohol poisoning at just 32, haunted by survivor’s guilt after watching most of his platoon die. Only five Marines from his original 45-man unit survived the Pacific war.

Here’s his story, and you can visit his grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 34.

The Young Marine Who Never Wanted Fame

Ira Hayes, a 22-year-old Pima Indian from Arizona, helped raise the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945.

Photographer Joe Rosenthal caught the moment, creating the most copied photo in American history. Hayes fought in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.

Three of the six flag-raisers died in later fighting. By the battle’s end, Hayes was one of only five Marines left from his original platoon of 45 men.

The 36-day battle killed nearly 7,000 Americans and hurt another 20,000.

Suddenly Thrust Into a National Spotlight

President Roosevelt ordered officials to find the living flag-raisers and bring them to Washington D.C.for the Seventh War Loan Drive in spring 1945.

Hayes met President Truman at the White House on April 20, 1945, just days after Roosevelt died.

The shy Marine became a symbol of American victory while still dealing with the trauma of seeing 223 of his 250 friends die on the island.

Hayes first refused to be named, even threatening to hurt a fellow Marine who told officials about him. His officers finally talked him into joining the war bond drive.

War Bond Tours Broke His Spirit

The bond tour started May 11, 1945, in New York City and visited 33 American cities over six tough weeks.

In Times Square, Hayes pulled a rope to raise a flag before a huge crowd of 1.4 million cheering Americans. While the tour raised over $26 billion, twice the government’s goal, Hayes struggled with all the attention.

Military officials took him off the tour on May 24 in Indianapolis because of his drinking problems and sent him back to his unit in Hawaii.

Fellow flag-raiser Rene Gagnon later said Hayes “just couldn’t take” the pressure.

Back Home With No Future

Hayes left the Marines on December 1, 1945, after serving in Japan.

He returned to the Gila River Reservation where he faced poverty and discrimination instead of opportunity.

Tourists often came up to him asking, “Are you the Indian who raised the flag on Iwo Jima?”, making it hard to move on with his life.

Hayes worked low-paying jobs including cotton picking at three dollars per hundred pounds. He tried working for the railroad and briefly at the Veterans Administration.

Ghosts of Fallen Friends Followed Him

Hayes suffered from what doctors now call severe post-traumatic stress disorder, though no one knew how to treat it in the 1940s.

Guilt about surviving tormented him daily.

He often told people, “How can I feel like a hero when I hit the beach with two hundred and fifty buddies and only twenty-seven of us walked off alive?”

He used alcohol to cope with his trauma and unwanted fame. Friends noticed he became more isolated compared to before the war, often drinking alone.

Police Arrested Him 52 Times in 10 Years

Between 1945 and 1955, police arrested Hayes 52 times for public drunkenness, creating a cycle of jail time and brief sober periods.

He couldn’t keep a job and drifted between short-term work across the Southwest.

In 1953, after another arrest, Hayes worked briefly as a handyman and driver for Betty Martin, comedian Dean Martin’s ex-wife.

His fame, which might have helped others, became a burden for Hayes, who struggled to fit into normal life.

Monument Dedication Marked His Last Public Appearance

Hayes went to the dedication of the Marine Corps War Memorial on November 10, 1954, in Arlington, Virginia.

Sculptor Felix de Weldon created the massive 32-foot bronze monument based on Rosenthal’s famous photo.

Hayes stood forever carved as the sixth figure in the memorial. This ceremony marked his last major public event.

Just 10 weeks later, Hayes died. During the ceremony, he stayed sober but quiet, saying little to reporters or officials.

Freezing Desert Night Claimed His Life

Police found Hayes dead on January 24, 1955, near an empty adobe hut in Sacaton, Arizona. He had been drinking and playing cards with his brothers Vernon and Kenneth the night before.

Witnesses said Hayes got into a fight with another Pima man, Henry Setoyant, before walking off alone into the cold desert night.

The county coroner ruled he died from alcohol poisoning and cold exposure. Hayes was just 32 years old, having spent a third of his life struggling with fame he never wanted.

Marines Honored Him With Full Military Burial

Hayes’ body lay in state at the Arizona Capitol Building in what became the largest funeral in state history at that time.

The Marines buried him on February 2, 1955, at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors despite his troubled final years.

Fellow flag-raiser Rene Gagnon spoke at the funeral, saying Hayes dreamed that “someday the Indian would be like the white man. ”

President Eisenhower sent someone to represent him at the ceremony. Over 2,000 people came, including military officials, tribal leaders, and Arizona politicians.

Someone Made a Cast of His Face Without Permission

While Hayes’ body lay in a Phoenix mortuary, artist Hortense Johnson secretly created a plaster death mask of his face without the family’s knowledge or consent.

Johnson planned to create a bust but died of cancer before completing her project.

The mask passed through multiple hands over decades: first to Johnson’s husband, then to a woman named Shirley Nelson, and later to Navajo artist Robert Yellowhair.

The mask eventually ended up on display at the Gilbert Ortega Museum Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, where it remained for years as a macabre tourist attraction.

Family Finally Brought His Spirit Home

Hayes’ family finally learned about the mask’s existence in 2009, a shocking 54 years after his death.

His brother Kenneth Hayes, then 78 years old, retrieved the mask from the museum, which agreed to donate it to the family.

According to traditional Pima cultural beliefs, “when you pass on, everything you own is supposed to go with you.”

The family buried the mask on the Gila River Reservation in a private ceremony, believing Hayes’ spirit could finally rest completely.

This final act of reclamation closed a painful chapter of exploitation that had continued decades after the war hero’s death.

Visiting Gravesite of Cpl. Ira Hayes in Arlington National Cemetery

Ira Hayes’ grave is in Section 34, Grave 479A at Arlington National Cemetery.

This Pima Native American was one of the six flag-raisers in the famous Iwo Jima photo, but fame led to his alcoholism and early death at 32.

After his death, a controversial death mask was made without family permission and sold for profit. You can find his simple white headstone among thousands of others, with many visitors leaving coins and small tributes to honor his complicated legacy.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• These ancient builders conquered Arizona’s killer cliffs to create a fortress still standing today
• This 13th-century Arizona cliff dwelling stayed hidden for 600 years until it was found by a runaway mule
• Arizona massacre survivor Olive Oatman lived five years with Mohave tattoos before her miraculous rescue