The Ballad of Ira Hayes

I've always been a big fan of the Man in Black. This is an especially poignant story in light of the fact that today, battle casualties are no longer the primary reason for service members’ deaths. Now, the primary cause of death is suicide.

For those who don't know, Ira Hayes was a Pima Native American and one of the six flag raisers immortalized in the iconic photograph of the victory at Iwo Jima during World War II. He died a couple weeks after his 32nd birthday.



The bitter tears of Johnny Cash