Judy Hamilton
5th November 2006, 11:46 PM (23:46)
Viewed this moving story of a historical battle
fought on Mount Surabachi..on the island of Iwo Jima
located in the Pacific..near Japan
the movie was done well, this nurse should know better
part of what upset me, with the casualties as realistic
as possible
was the absence of our countrymen to
comprehend the trauma, the
psychological trauma these men endured
Ira Hayes was a native American, a Pima Indian who was
good enough to fight and give his life for freedoms of
Americans. However as a Native American
in the 40's he was scorned. he was yanked
out of an indescribable horrendous battle into seemingly a frivlous
American back home and was required as a
flag Raiser to raise Bond monies across America. No one acknowledged
the soul pain this young Marine was carrying. No one seemed to
care..so he turned to alcohol to numb the flashbacks and deal with
having o leave his buddies..and being a survivor in a battle
where the cost of lives was exorbant
In my photos below..he is the last Marine raising
the Flag
The Ballad Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash..well
relates the sad tale of the life of this Marine
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
Ira returned a hero
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored;
every body 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
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
fought on Mount Surabachi..on the island of Iwo Jima
located in the Pacific..near Japan
the movie was done well, this nurse should know better
part of what upset me, with the casualties as realistic
as possible
was the absence of our countrymen to
comprehend the trauma, the
psychological trauma these men endured
Ira Hayes was a native American, a Pima Indian who was
good enough to fight and give his life for freedoms of
Americans. However as a Native American
in the 40's he was scorned. he was yanked
out of an indescribable horrendous battle into seemingly a frivlous
American back home and was required as a
flag Raiser to raise Bond monies across America. No one acknowledged
the soul pain this young Marine was carrying. No one seemed to
care..so he turned to alcohol to numb the flashbacks and deal with
having o leave his buddies..and being a survivor in a battle
where the cost of lives was exorbant
In my photos below..he is the last Marine raising
the Flag
The Ballad Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash..well
relates the sad tale of the life of this Marine
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
Ira returned a hero
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored;
every body 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
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