Ira Hayes

Ira Hayes (Sacaton, Arizona, 1923 - Bapchule, Arizona, 1955) era un indi pima, fill d'agricultors pobres, que es va allistar a la marina durant la Segona Guerra Mundial. El 23 de febrer del 1945 fou un dels que alçà la bandera americana a Iwo Jima, fet immortalitzat en una fotografia de Joe Rosenthal. Però convertir-se en heroi, cosa que no comprenia, ja que fou un dels pocs supervivents, el convertí en una mena d'atracció de fira i el va fer caure en l'alcoholisme. Va morir ofegat en una tanca després del memorial d'Iwo Jima davant del president Dwight D. Eisenhower del 1955. La seva tràgica vida va inspirar el film The Outsider (1961), protagonitzat per Tony Curtis, i la cançó "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" de Peter LaFarge popularitzada per Johnny Cash i Bob Dylan:

Ira Hamilton Hayes

Biografia
Naixement	12 gener 1923 Sacaton (Arizona)
Mort	24 gener 1955 (32 anys) Bapchule (Arizona) (en)
Sepultura	Cementiri nacional d'Arlington
Dades personals
Altres noms	Cap Núvol Caigut
Activitat
Ocupació	paracaigudista militar
Activitat	1942–1945
Carrera militar
Lleialtat	Estats Units
Branca militar	Cos de Marines dels Estats Units
Rang militar	Caporal
Unitat militar	Tercer Batalló Paracaigudista 2n Batalló, 28è Marines Quarter General del 1r Batalló, HQMC
Conflicte	Segona Guerra Mundial: Batalla del Golf Vella Campanya de Boungainville Batalla d'Iwo Jima
Esport	paracaigudisme
Premis  Medalla de la Victòria a la II Guerra Mundial

Situació d'Hayes dins de la fotografia.

«	:Chorus: Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian Nor the Marine that went to war Gather round me people there's a story I would tell About a brave young Indian you should remember well From the land of the Pima Indian A proud and noble band Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land Down the ditches for a thousand years The water grew Ira's peoples' crops 'Till the white man stole the water rights And the sparklin' water stopped Now Ira's folks were hungry And their land grew crops of weeds When war came, Ira volunteered And forgot the white man's greed Chorus There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill, Two hundred and fifty men But only twenty-seven lived To walk back down again And when the fight was over And when Old Glory raised Among the men who held it high Was the Indian, Ira Hayes Chorus Ira returned a hero Celebrated through the land He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand But he was just a Pima Indian No water, no home, no chance At home nobody cared what Ira'd done And when did the Indians dance Chorus Then Ira started drinkin' hard; Jail was often his home They'd let him raise the flag and lower it like you'd throw a dog a bone! He died drunk one mornin' Alone in the land he fought to save Two inches of water in a lonely ditch Was a grave for Ira Hayes Chorus Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes But his land is just as dry And his ghost is lyin' thirsty In the ditch where Ira died	»
— The Ballad of Ira Hayes

Enllaços externs

A Wikimedia Commons hi ha contingut multimèdia relatiu a: Ira Hayes

• Els qui alçaren la bandera d'Iwo Jima Arxivat 2020-07-03 a Wayback Machine.