Popular Categories

Recalling a Native American warrior




 

 

do a South Dakota farm boy and a Pima Indian from Arizona have in common? A lot more than you might think.

I discovered this on November 10 – the 237th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps – during a conversation with Jack Thurman; an 87-year old Mitchell native who’s still going strong.

Sitting in the comfort of the Box Elder mayor’s office, we were well protected from the wind, snow, cold and ice that had blanketed Western South Dakota since dawn.

Jack was in Box Elder on that frigid Fall morning to attend an honoring ceremony for several Marines who’d taken part in the Battle of Iwo Jima. I was there to hear their personal stories. I ended up spending most of my time visiting with Jack.

The eldest of 15 children born to his “very Irish” mother, Jack was inspired to join the Marine Corps in 1943 by his uncle – who died wearing the eagle, globe and anchor during World War One. In other words, Jack was carrying on a family tradition.

Twelve hundred miles South, a young Pima man – the oldest of 8 children, also from a rural area and with a “very religious” mother – was carrying on a tradition of, not only his people, but of all Native Americans: volunteering to serve in the U.S. military.

His name was Ira Hayes. He joined the Marines in 1942.

Although most folks have no idea who Jack Thurman is, millions know who Hayes is – even if they don’t realize it.

You see, Ira Hayes was one of the six men (5 Marines and one Navy corpsman) who raised the flag on Iwo Jima’s Mt. Suribachi; an event immortalized by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945.

Hayes is the Marine with his hands outstretched below the flagpole. Although the image is true-to-life, the question that haunts many who see it remains: is this Pima man merely completing the action of pushing the pole into place, or is he reaching for the freedoms afforded by the American flag that his people – even those in uniform – were consistently denied?

A question of interpretation, no doubt – but Ira’s life did reflect the irony of the symbolism.

Jack Thurman was close with Hayes and offered insight into the quiet man who became a reluctant national hero.

Forced to return to the U.S. to sell war bonds after the 3 surviving flag-raisers’ likenesses went international, Hayes soon found his amiable personality drenched in alcohol as he tried to keep pace with his hosts at endless Washington, D.C. celebration parties.

Hayes was vilified in the press for his drinking issues and racked with “survivor’s guilt”. Less than 10 years after he became a “hero” – a title he never pursued, Ira Hayes was dead.

According to Jack Thurman, Ira Hayes was “a true-blooded warrior who loved his country”. The way he was treated by the news media bothers his elder friend to this day.

If he could speak to him again, Thurman would tell Hayes that few people know the portrait of him painted by the press. But countless numbers have been inspired by the image of the American flag being raised over a small Pacific island with the assistance of a young Pima warrior.

That’s the Ira Hayes people will always see.

Jim Kent is a freelance writer and radio journalist who lives in Hot Springs. He is a contributing columnist for the Rapid City Journal and Indian Country Today and former editor of The New Lakota Times. He can be heard on South Dakota Public Radio, Voice of America Radio, National Public Radio, Nebraska Public Radio, and National Native News Radio. He can be reached at kentvfte@gwtc.net.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.