b'THE ARIZONA DUUUDEARMISTICE DAY/VETERANS DAY By Bob Roloff, The Arizona DuuudeYou can follow Bob Roloff on Facebook.I n the USA, Veterans Dayto manhood.Despite this, Ira displayed an falls on November 11th, theimpressive grasp of the English language, a anniversary of the signinglanguage that many Pima never learned to of the Armistice, which ended WWI and the hostilitiesspeak. He learned to read and write by the age between the allied nations and Germany in 1918. of four, and was a voracious reader. Veterans Day is intended to honor and thank all military personnel who served the United States in all wars,After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Ira particularly living veterans.was determined to serve in the United States Marine Corps and he enlisted in the Marine I have picked just a couple of the many stories thatCorps Reserve on August 26, 1942. After have a connection with Arizona to relay to you. Therecompleting recruit training at Marine CorpsIra Hayes Monument, Sacaton, AZare so, so many similar stories of men and women thatBase San Diego, Ira volunteered for Marine have sacrificed so much for their country. You\'ve heardParatrooper training. He received his silverDivision hit the beaches of Guadacanal with 15 code the saying, All gave some, some gave all."With all theJump Wings" and promotion to Private First Classtalkers. The deployment of the Navajo Code Talkers available information on the internet, it can get veryon November 30th with his code name, Chief Fallingcontinued through the Korean War and after, until it overwhelming but at the same time, it is great to knowCloud."On February 19, 1945, the 5th Marine Divisionended in the Vietnam War. that it is all there and easily available. Most importantly,landed on Iwo Jima. On February 23rd, Marines from it is keeping history alive for everyone.the 3rd platoon of Easy Company captured and raised anLori Ann Piestewa was a United States Army Spc. American flag on top of Mount Suribachi at 10:30 am.Soldier. She was the first known Native American Frank Luke was bornHayes squad leader was ordered to take three Marineswoman to die in combat in the U.S. military, and the first May 19, 1897, into bring supplies up Mount Suribachi and raise a largerfemale soldier to be killed in action in the Iraq War, on Phoenix, Arizona. Hisflag on the summit in the early afternoon. The raisingApril 17th 2003. She was a member of the Quartermaster father had emigratedof the second American flag on Mount Suribachi wasCorps. In her honor, State Route 51 originally Squaw from Germany in 1874immortalized by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal andPeak, is now the Piestewa Parkway, and nearby is and settled here. Frankbecame an icon of the world war. Soon afterward, thePiestewa Peak, the second-highest point afterexcelled in sports whiletwo surviving flag-raisers Hayes and Gagon becameCamelback Mountain. growing up, and workednational heroes.in copper mines,There are always those that will answer the call when thereby supportingIra attempted to lead a normal civilian life after thetheir country asks for help. But, there are those that don\'t himself and helping thewar. He rarely spoke about the flag-raising; he talkedwait to be asked, they see the need and don\'t hesitate to family. Frank enlistedmore generally about his service in the Marine Corpsstep forward and say, Reporting for duty sir. in the Aviation Section,with great pride. In 1949 Ira appeared briefly as himself U.S. Signal Corps onin the film Sands of Iwo Jima starring John Wayne.When you step into the military you put your private Sept. 25, 1917. He wasAll this fame caused unwanted attention. Ira found itlife on hold. For most, it will be a temporary enlistment, 20 years old. He was commissioned a second lieutenanthard to hold down a steady job and easier to turn tofor others a lifetime career. Depending on whether it is in March 1918, after receiving pilot training in Texas andalcohol. Referring to his alcoholism, he said, I waspeacetime or wartime, and where your duty station is California. He was deployed to France and was assignedsick, I guess I was about to crack up thinking about allmay determine your fate. to the 27th Aero Squadron.my good buddies. They were better men than me and they\'re not coming back." On the morning of JanuaryFor those that already have a successful private life going, From September 12th to September 29th, Frank was24, 1955, Ira Hayes was found dead lying in a ditch nearand then chose to put that on hold to serve their country credited with shooting down 14 German observationan abandoned adobe hut near Sacaton, Arizona. Onis why we say thank you for your service." When the balloons and four airplanes. Frank achieved these 18February 2, 1955, Ira Hayes was buried at Arlingtonstakes are high like in WWII and the need is great, with victories during just 10 sorties in eight days. A feat thatNational Cemetery. no guarantee that the U.S. would survive a two-front was unsurpassed by any pilot in WWI. This was just onewar, its all hands on deck. year after he had enlisted. Sadly he was hit and woundedThe Navajo code is the only spoken military code by a bullet from a machine gun on a hilltop during hisnever to have been deciphered. The idea for using theMovie stars, sports figures, actors and actresses during successful attack on three observation balloons. HeNavajo language originated with a civil engineer namedthat time all did what they could, whether through active managed to land in a field but weakened by his woundPhilip Johnston, who had grown up on the Navajomilitary service, selling war bonds, or volunteer work.he collapsed while running from German infantry. Frankreservation with hisLater on, I remember, Elvis died while emptying his Colt model 1911 pistol at hismissionary father. NavajoPresley, the King of Rock n Roll pursuers. He was just 21. His final resting place is theremained an unwrittenanswering his countrys call at Meuse-Argonne American cemetery and memorial. Lukelanguage at the time. Itthe peak of his career, saying he Air Force Base, west of Phoenix was named after Frank, asalso possessed extremelywanted no special treatment; was Lukeville, Arizona on the U.S. & Mexico border.complex syntax and nohe was just a regular soldier. He alphabet. In tests, Johnstonwould return to pick up right Ira Hamilton Hayes was born on January 12, 1923, inproved that the code waswhere he left off, with more Sacaton, capital of the Gila River Indian Community, innot only unbreakable butgreat music.Pinal County. Ira was the eldest of six children born tothat Navajo soldiers could Nancy Hamilton and Joseph Hayes. Joseph Hayes wasencode a message in just 20The Vietnam War was a huge a world war one veteran, who supported his family byseconds. The cryptographicprivate life on-hold time. Far subsistence farming and its cotton harvesting. Iras mothermachinery of the daytoo many never returned and Nancy was a devout Presbyterian and a Sunday schoolrequired 30 minutes tofor many others, it would leave teacher at the Assemblies of God church in Sacaton.complete the same task. Onopen wounds and scars that still Ira\'s father was a quiet man, as was Ira from childhoodAugust 7, 1942 1st Marinehaunt them today. 38 November 2019'