[Vision2020] Ira Hayes' Story: remember all who fought

[Tom Hansen]

Thanks, TL.

 

Although Ira Hayes was not afforded the same recognition as Audie Murphy, he
is no less a hero.

 

"Ballad of Ira Hayes" By Johnny Cash

http://www.tomandrodna.com/Songs/Ballad_of_Ira_Hayes.mp3

 

"Ballad of Ira Hayes"

written by Peter LaFarge

 

Ira Hayes, Ira Hayes

 

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:

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

 

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:

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

 

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 crops, no chance

At home nobody cared what Ira'd done

And when did the Indians dance

 

CHORUS:

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

 

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:

Call him drunken Ira Hayes

He won't answer anymore

Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian

Nor the Marine that went to war

 

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."

 

------------

 

Seeya round town, Moscow.

 

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

  _____  

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Tim Lohrmann
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2007 11:08 AM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Ira Hayes' Story: remember all who fought

 

 

http://thegoldweb.com/voices/irahayes.htm

 

The link above does a pretty good job of telling the story of Ira Hayes, one
of the marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima in one of the most memorable
photographs of WWII.

 

Although Hayes wasn't actually killed in action, his story seems well worth
remembering on Memorial Day.

His story is just one of thousands of stories of veterans who were praised
as heroes, but then forgotten and ignored---with tragic consequences---when
the fighting was over. 

 

We should never forget those who died in combat. 

 

Neither should we forget those who come home with the scars of war. 

They deserve much better than the neglect Hayes, and millions of others,
have received when they returned. 

 

TL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Those 'technicalities' have a name, Bobby. They're called the Bill of
Rights.

 
----Hank Hill

  

  _____  

Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join
<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48516/*http:/surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_pan
el_invite.asp?a=7%20>  Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. 

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