And for a twenty-year-old who had grown up on the Gila River reservation in the 1930s and early 1940s, the Marines specifically carried a particular appeal.

They were the toughest, the most selective, the most demanding.

They were the branch that turned young men into something formidable.

If you were going to go to war, and you were young and physically capable and not afraid of difficulty, the Marines were a logical choice.

Hayes enlisted in August 1942 at the age of nineteen.

He reported to boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

By the accounts of those who served with him, he was a capable, determined recruit.