bootsontheground 07/12/09
"John was the best man I have ever known. He was my closest friend."
That's how Marine Master Sergeant John Hayes was described to me by his commander, Captain Albert S. Flores Jr., several days after Hayes and another Marine, Roger Hager were killed on a patrol in southern Helmand province, Afghanistan. I was alerted to the tragedy by my friend Matt Sanchez, who is embedded with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and was riding in the convoy that was hit by the deadly IED that killed Hayes.
Soldiers and Marines are dying every day in Afghanistan, and we don't spend enough time honoring these heroes. They deserve better. John Hayes was a dedicated father, husband, and leader of men. He was mentor to the son of another personal friend, Austin Boyd. Austin's son Alex was in the vehicle behind the one destroyed by the IED, and was first on the scene to help rescue the three survivors, all of whom were gravely injured. In an email to his father, Alex said simply, "John Hayes was one of my mentors, and Roger Hager was one of my friends. Spread the names around and keep their families in mind."
Indeed. Please remember the families of Roger Hager and John Hayes in your prayers, as well as all the Marines in Southern Afghanistan who willingly go into harm's way as "agents of wrath to bring punishment on the evildoer."
The Face of a Hero
"John was the best man I have ever known. He was my closest friend."That's how Marine Master Sergeant John Hayes was described to me by his commander, Captain Albert S. Flores Jr., several days after Hayes and another Marine, Roger Hager were killed on a patrol in southern Helmand province, Afghanistan. I was alerted to the tragedy by my friend Matt Sanchez, who is embedded with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and was riding in the convoy that was hit by the deadly IED that killed Hayes.
Soldiers and Marines are dying every day in Afghanistan, and we don't spend enough time honoring these heroes. They deserve better. John Hayes was a dedicated father, husband, and leader of men. He was mentor to the son of another personal friend, Austin Boyd. Austin's son Alex was in the vehicle behind the one destroyed by the IED, and was first on the scene to help rescue the three survivors, all of whom were gravely injured. In an email to his father, Alex said simply, "John Hayes was one of my mentors, and Roger Hager was one of my friends. Spread the names around and keep their families in mind."
Indeed. Please remember the families of Roger Hager and John Hayes in your prayers, as well as all the Marines in Southern Afghanistan who willingly go into harm's way as "agents of wrath to bring punishment on the evildoer."