Flag Breathing Ceremony for Ira H. Hayes & Kenneth Hayes

Emma Hughes

Gila River Indian News

Continued from the Previous Issue of the GRIN:

Doug Juan is a relative of the Hayes family from their paternal side and shared that he is glad that there are other family members on their maternal side, family that they didn’t know before.

“I’m from Ira’s dad’s side, so he would be something like my grandpa, because he was my grandpa’s brother,” said Juan. He said that he knew of Ira’s passing when he was a young boy: “I was about five years old when he died. I still remember my grand folks and I were going to the store on the wagon, and we passed by the house, and there were a lot of cars there,” said Juan.

Lancelot Lewis, U.S. Army – Vietnam veteran, gave remarks during the flag breathing ceremony, sharing his experience in helping to develop the Matthew B. Juan – Ira H. Hayes Veterans Memorial Park in Sacaton, which features a monument dedicated to Ira H. Hayes and the Iwo Jima flag raising, with stones brought to the Community from Mt. Suribachi.

Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis and Lt. Gov. Regina Antone were also present to share remarks. Gov. Lewis noted that Ira Hayes is perhaps one of the most well-known GRIC members.

Relatives of the Hayes family were also honored as Grand Marshalls for the local parade that celebrates the 79th anniversary of the Iwo Jima flag raising, held on Feb. 24. 

Juan said it’s quite an honor to have Post 84 recognize the family, “Some of us are elders, you know, and I know my cousin - she lost her sister, and they were one of the elders, so I’m glad that they got the family to be the Grand Marshals,” said Juan.

“Just seeing this today, it’s truly an inspiration to our families; all of us here are family. I think a lot of us that are starting to come out and participate even more and really see it, see how it is today, I think it was one of the biggest events,” said Wayne Allison, relative to the Hayes through their maternal side.

Yvonne Flores, a relative from the paternal side, shared that this was her first event honoring the Hayes brothers.

“It’s very enlightening; it’s good to see and be acknowledged for the things that our family has gone through and what they [Ira and Kenneth] have done,” said Flores, “It’s really heartening to see everybody who has come out to be involved in this with us.”

U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Adam Juan, also a family member from the Hayes’ maternal side, shared his thoughts on the event and its meaning to him.

“Being here, wearing the uniform, the same one that Ira wore, it puts into perspective what he went through and how he carried on his tradition,” said Adam Juan, “He did his time, and so now it’s time for me to make my own legacy.”

He added, “With the Community doing events for veterans and families of those veterans and everything else, they need to keep it going because there’s not a whole lot of them.”