World War II Honoree

Richard S. Hayes

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Detroit, Michigan

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Corporal. On January 14, 1942, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps at Detroit, Michigan. His boot camp training took place with the Eleventh Recruit Battalion Training Regiment; Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California. After completing Boot Camp, he was selected to attend Tank training, at the Fleet Marine Force Training Center, Camp Elliott Marine Corps Base in San Diego. Served as a Tank Crewman with the Twenty-Second Marine Regiment in the North Pacific Theater of Operations, assigned to the Second Separate Tank Company and Fifth Amphibious Corps. His regiment participated in the Battle of Eniwetok Atoll against the Imperial Japanese armed forces, (Battle Dates: February 17-23, 1944) Code name: Operation Hailstone, Marshall Islands Campaign. Reported missing in action Friday, February 18, 1944 on the first day of the invasion, and his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, ‘Punchbowl’ Hawaii. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.