at just 32 he lay dead
           Not by machine gun fire 
But by alcohol instead 

                  Ira Hayes was found
In the desert-  alone
        The sun shone brightly 
          On his Marine Corps bones

He was  Native American
A Marine through and through
             He’d seen combat
He thought he  made it thru 

He held the flag up at Iowa jima 
      Along with 5 others
He never ever 
Forgot his Marine  Corps brothers 

            But Marine Hayes 
Couldn’t get the faces out of his head
               Couldn’t forget about the bodies
And the number of dead

            He drank to cope
Because sometimes PTSD  does that to a  soul 
       Unfortunately he drank and drank
           At just 32 he felt so old 

               He died of exposure after a heavy night of drinking 
On a cold January night
                      Marine Ira Hayes 
             Finally gave up the fight 


*** to me this is one of the saddest stories of a returning war veteran- Marine Hayes was at Iowa jima and helped raise the American flag and the picture taken was made famous.
  Marine Hayes unfor fell into alcoholism upon his return home after the war.  He had severe PTSD.
  Ira was found deceased in the Arizona desert in January of 1955- he was only 32 years old.