Ira Hamilton Hayes was born on January 12th, 1923 on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Sacaton, Arizona to Nancy Hamilton and Joseph Hayes. His family was members of a tribe known as the Pima Indians. Like many families of the time, they were not wealthy by any means. His parents made a living as cotton farmers and shared a one bedroom home with Ira and his three younger brothers, Kenneth Leonard and Vernon Hayes. Ira Hayes attended elementary school in Sacaton, later he would finish high school at the Pheonix Indian School in Pheonix, Az.
In 1942, at the age of only 19, Ira enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He attended Marine boot camp in San Diego, California. Following basic training, Ira