Thomas J. Hayes III

Thomas J. Hayes III was a United States Army Major General.

Thomas Jay Hayes III
Born(1914-08-26)August 26, 1914
Omaha, Nebraska
DiedMarch 16, 2004 (2004-03-17) (aged 89)
San Francisco, California
Buried
West Point Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1936–1969
Rank Major General
Commands heldSouth Atlantic Division
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal (2)
Legion of Merit (3)
Goethals Medal
RelationsMajor General Thomas J. Hayes jr (father)

Early life and education

He started at West Point in 1932 graduating as a Second Lieutenant in 1936.[1]

Military service

Following graduation from West Point Hayes obtained a master's degree in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He attended the Engineer School and was then posted to the 20th Engineer Regiment at Fort Benning.[1]

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II he was overseeing the construction of Bluie West Eight air base in Greenland. In 1942 he was transferred to Nassau, Bahamas to oversee the construction of Oakes Field and Windsor Field.[1]

Postwar

In 1960, now a Brigadier General, he was appointed commander of the Ballistic Missile Construction Office, responsible for the construction of ICBM support and launch facilities across the U.S.[1]

In 1961, Hayes was awarded the Goethals Medal.

He served as assistant to the Chief of Engineers for NASA Support and was involved in the construction of facilities at the Kennedy Space Center.[2]

During the buildup of U.S. forces to meet the demands of the Vietnam War and the consequential demand for support services and infrastructure in South Vietnam, Hayes noted that "supporting units seem to bear more than their share of losses as a nation progressively reduces its Armed Forces in the years between wars".[3]

He served as commander of the South Atlantic Division from 1967 until his retirement in 1969.[4]

Later life

Hayes retired from the Army in August 1969.[1]

In October 1981, Hayes and Jan Howard, who had also lost a son in Vietnam, publicly unveiled the model of the winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.[5]

Personal life

He married Jean Pedley in 1942 in Nassau. They had two daughters and a son. His son, Thomas J. Hayes IV, was killed in action in South Vietnam on 17 April 1968 while serving with the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment.[6]

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gollark: Hoping my time of death getter works properly...

References
  1. "Thomas J. Hayes III 1936". West Point Association of Graduates. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  2. "Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations". NASA. 1978. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  3. Ploger, Robert (1974). Vietnam Studies U.S. Army Engineers 1965-1970 (PDF). Department of the Army Center of Military History. p. 8.
  4. "History of the South Atlantic Division of the US Army Corps of Engineers, 1945-2011" (PDF). US Army Corps of Engineers. 2012. pp. 27–8. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  5. "Vietnam memorial moving ahead". UPI. 28 October 1981. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  6. Atkinson, Rick (1990). The Long Gray Line. Fontana/Collins. p. 275. ISBN 9781429979047.
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