Why Trump Is Erasing Ira Hayes
MAGA's War for the Pentagon
If you had to name a genuine American hero from the Second World War, chances are you would invoke Ira Hayes. Maybe it's because you know the Johnny Cash song. But regardless, Hayes was the real deal. He was one of six marines who planted the Stars and Stripes following the horrific battle of Iwo Jima.
The image of Old Glory being raised on Mount Suribachi may be the most famous war photograph of all time. It not only captured the determination and bravery of the marines but symbolized a nation that came together following the surprise attack at Pearl Harbour and built the world's greatest fighting machine.
Ira Hayes is a memory worth revering. But his story has been scrubbed from the Pentagon website.
It's part of the war on "woke," aiming to eliminate the perceived threat of "diversity, equity, and inclusion." As part of this campaign, the Pentagon has also removed the incredible history of the Navajo code talkers, whose story was celebrated in the 2002 film Windtalkers.
And just to make it clear that the white is right manifesto is once again ascendant, the Pentagon has removed references to Hasanoanda (known by his white name Ely S. Parker), who helped negotiate the terms of the surrender of the slave states rebellion at Appomattox.
Bringing the Pentagon to Heel
In some ways, Ira Hayes is simply collateral damage in Trump's complete dismantling of the key government bodies that could pose resistance to him. He has targeted the FBI, ripped through federal departments, and threatened the judiciary.
But most of all, Trump is obsessed with the Pentagon.
Mark Miley, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has publicly warned that Trump is a fascist leader. Trump was so displeased with Milley's attempt to protect the Constitution that he publicly stated Milley deserved to be put to death.
Another top General, John Kelly, described how Trump referred to American soldiers killed in combat as "suckers" and "losers." Kelly stated that Trump complained the American military wasn't loyal enough. He wanted his generals to be obedient like Nazi generals.
To bring the military under Project 2025, Trump targeted General Q. C. Brown, the recent head of the military. Brown, who is Black, was a champion of a military that promoted inclusivity for its members.
A statement Brown provided in a military handbook put him on the MAGA hitlist:
"Before you can lead others, you have to lead yourself. We must develop leaders of character that are ready to create and foster environments of respect, inclusivity, and trust."
It was the word "inclusivity" that did him in.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made it clear why:
"Any general that was involved in any of that DEI woke shit has got to go."
As General Brown was being given the bum's rush, Hegseth smeared this decorated military leader by insinuating people might think Brown only got the job in the first place because he was Black.
Trump replaced him with General Dan "Raizin" Caine, a MAGA loyalist. Bragging that Caine vowed he was willing to die for Trump. Since taking over the military, Caine has been waging war on the imagined enemies of Trump.
Eighteen-year-old Rishab Jain is one of those enemies.
A music major in high school, this American-born youth had been invited to join the Marine Band in a special concert. But Jain was one of several students refused access because it was deemed the Marines were encouraging racialized youth. The high school student has been accepted to Harvard, but because of his skin colour, he apparently poses a threat to the Marine Corps.
This might seem like the stuff of show trials and paranoia - and it is.
Fareed Zakaria has described Trump's attack on colleges and research facilities as a modern version of Mao's Cultural Revolution. Nowhere is the Cultural Revolution more militantly applied than in destroying the institutions of the American state.
This brings us back to Ira Hayes and if you don't know his story, it is worth telling.
He was born into grinding poverty because white settlers had stolen the water rights of the Pima Nation. Like so many others from the Indigenous and racial underclass, Ira didn't think twice about enlisting. He joined the Marines and was involved in heavy fighting from Guadalcanal through the long, brutal slog to Okinawa.
As a result of the famous flag-raising, Ira became a household name.
John Wayne invited him to appear in the movie Sands of Iwo Jima. Adam Beach portrayed him in the 2006 film Flag of Our Fathers. But it was Johnny Cash's version of the Pete Lafarge song that cemented the story of Ira Hayes.
There they battled up Iwo Jima hill
Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived
To walk back down again
And when the fight was over
And Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes.
The song was a powerful commentary on race, heroism and national obligation. It is also one of the first songs to speak about the horrific impacts of PTSD.
Ira Hayes suffered hero's guilt. He couldn't come to terms with the mass death and suffering he saw. He took refuge in alcohol and died tragically at the age of 32, discarded by the nation for which he gave his youth.
Ira Hayes 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?
In 1964, Johnny Cash released the song on an album that promoted Indigenous identity and resistance. The song came at a time when a new generation of marines was being called to fight in Vietnam.
Radio stations across the country refused to play it because it wasn't patriotic enough.
A defiant Johnny Cash paid for a full-page ad in Billboard Magazine shaming the DJs into playing the song.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon invited Cash to perform at the White House. Nixon wanted Cash to play Oke from Muskogee and Guy Drake's Welfare Cadillac. Both songs were seen as right-wing parodies of poor southern people.
Cash ignored the president. Instead, he played Ira Hayes.
Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes
But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lying thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died.
Canada has its own mixed history when it comes to the incredible sacrifice of Indigenous warriors. If it wasn't for Tecumseh and the Indigenous nations along the Great Lakes, we would be flying the Stars and Stripes right now. Instead, the White House was burned to the ground, and Canadian nationhood secured.
At the start of the First World War, the Canadian government was wary about letting Indigenous people join the war effort. They feared that if Indigenous soldiers proved their loyalty, they would demand rights when they returned home.
But as the war casualties mounted, the government turned to the impoverished First Nation people. Many who signed up didn't even speak English. But in the trenches, they proved their worth a thousand times over.
The most famous was Francis Pegahmagabow, who received the Military Medal and two bars for his bravery and effectiveness as a sniper. Former rodeo performer Henry Norwest was a Metis credited with 115 kills before his death.
It took decades before Canada fully embraced this incredible sacrifice of Indigenous warriors to our nation. In 2001, an Indigenous cenotaph was established in Confederation Park in Ottawa. An eagle is perched above the bear, the wolf, the caribou and the buffalo who stand with the warriors.
If you attend powwow festivals in Canada, it is common to see the American flag carried during the honour procession, along with the Canadian flag and the flags of the various Indigenous nations. It is a recognition of the warrior spirit that exists on both sides of the border.
A Message for My American Readers and Friends
Don't let Donald Trump and his MAGA-asshats break this bond or erase the legacies of Indigenous heroes like Ira Hayes.
The effort to erase Hayes’ story is a direct attack on the proud tradition of the Marines, a slap in the face to every veteran who ever served, and an attempt to degrade the incredible Indigenous spirit of the Americas. It is also a stupid overreach, but if they get away with it, the MAGA fascists will take more.
Write to your veteran's associations. Demand that your legion branch speak up.
If Trump and MAGA can erase a war hero like Ira Hayes, they can erase anyone.
Make Ira Hayes a symbol of resistance. America failed him once. Don't let his memory be failed again - especially not by grifters like Donald Trump.
A beautiful tribute to the diversity of our countries as portrayed through the armed forces Charlie! And any mention of Johnny Cash has a special place in my heart. Yesterday, a key clause keeping segregation at bay in federal buildings was removed. This means the United States federal buildings may have segregated areas again. We are witnessing potentially the rise of segregation and the fall of civil rights. My dad was right, history repeats itself. And who will be the Minnie Jean Brown of this generation? Who will be the next Little Rock Nine in about four to thirty years? And the next American who tells me that some things are protected under the Constitution may get an earful from me. The US is teetering if not running into a Constitutional Crisis and it seems as though that may be the point. I've read that certain governmental leaders feel that the Constitution may be outdated at this point. If that doesn't scare you, what will? Oh right, the fact that they want Canada to be a part of the falling free empire and the rising autocratic regime.
I'm so sick of this whole maga-nazi mentality. What a pathetic excuses for human beings