Stryker Soldier writes new chapter in Family history: Youngest Wolfhound makes difference in Iraq

Photo By Sgt. Brad Willeford | Pvt. Derk Hayes, a native of Peru, Ind., native, is assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.  

TAJI, IRAQ

04.01.2008

Courtesy Story

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

By Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – As some 19 year-old males are going to college, hanging out with friends and beginning their adult life, one Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier is beginning his adulthood assisting in securing Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Derk Hayes, a Peru, Ind., native, is the youngest soldier in his unit, Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, MNB-D.

From a very young age, Hayes knew he wanted to be a Soldier in the Army.

"He always said that he was going into the Army," reflects Hayes' mother, Candace Hayes. She remembers him saying that when he was six or seven-years-old.

By following through on that dream, Hayes opens a new chapter in the line of his family's service.

Hayes' great-uncle, Virgil Hayes, served in the Army during World War II and passed away in 1995, when Hayes was 6 years old.

"The last time I saw my Uncle Virgil, I told him I would join the Army," said Hayes on why he joined the Army in June 2007.

Not only did his great-uncle serve in World War II, but Hayes' grandfathers served in the military as well. His grandfather, Lyle Hayes, is a Pearl Harbor veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart due to injuries sustained in Japan's infamous attack on Dec. 7, 1941. His other grandfather, Hoot Gibson, retired after serving 30 years in the Air Force.

After attending Basic Combat Training at Ft. Benning, Ga., Hayes was assigned to the "Wolfhounds" at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he spent three weeks before deploying to Iraq.

"I knew it was going to happen, but not that soon," Hayes said. "Telling my mom was hard. I care about her more than anything."

His mom was at work when she received his text message and phone call notifying her that he was deploying in weeks.

"I broke down and just started to cry," Candace said, upon receiving the news from her son. "I just prayed, prayed and prayed; I was so scared."

"It was so hard to prepare for (the deployment)," said Candace, almost four-months into Hayes' deployment. "I'm doing better and praying for him every day. Some days I cry, but he reassures me that he's fine."

Hayes said he communicates with his mom as much as possible, but when he can't call home, Candace said she talks with other military mothers in a social network. She is a member of the Web site www.milclub.net, which is a place for troops and their families to communicate and share their experiences. She communicates with other mothers who have children deployed and said "they are helping me get through this."

In his first four months in Iraq, Hayes has been on more than thirty patrols, where he assists with the security of the brigade's embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team as it travels throughout the Taji Qada, northwest Baghdad.

Hayes was presented with a 25th Inf. Div. combat patch March 9 at a ceremony on Camp Taji. His service in Iraq is rewarding, and this ceremony was a "time to pause and recollect on the gains that we are making," said Lt. Col. Richard "Flip" Wilson, battalion commander for 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Regt.

After being presented with his combat patch, Wilson requested Hayes to join him in front of the company formation, where Wilson presented Hayes a commander's coin.

"I felt great. Getting a coin inspired me to do better," Hayes said. "I've never seen (a coin) before, and I was really amazed. I'm keeping it in my pocket below my heart."

Getting better is what his mother said the military has helped her son with.

"The military changed him for the better," Candace said, after hearing that he was recognized by the battalion commander. "I'm really, really proud of him."

• Date Taken: 04.01.2008
• Date Posted: 04.01.2008 11:40
• Story ID: 17958
• Location: TAJI, IQ