[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 133 (Tuesday, August 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1035-E1036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING UNITED STATES ARMY SERGEANT FIRST CLASS ROLAND HAYES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 6, 2019

  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, in advance of Purple Heart 
Day 2019, we are taking the time to honor those who have earned the 
Purple Heart for sacrifices in service to this Country. Today, we 
recognize Roland Hayes, who received not one or two, but three Purple 
Hearts while serving in the Vietnam War.
  As a young man, Roland Hayes admired the work of the military. He 
first learned about radio waves as a student at Lackawanna High School 
and was fascinated by the idea of wartime communication. He was also 
inspired by the bravery and skill of the Army's 101st Airborne 
Division, a specialized infantry division trained in air assault 
operations and the first troops that dropped into action during World 
War Two's Invasion of Normandy. In 1966, Hayes, just 18 years old, 
answered the internal tug to serve, voluntarily enlisted in the United 
States Army, and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division known as 
the ``Screaming Eagles.'' The 101st Airborne Division fought in 45 
different operations over almost 7 years and was the last Army division 
to leave Vietnam. During this time, the 101st made the important 
transition from utilizing planes and parachutes to landing helicopters.
  Hayes quickly experienced the same risky operations that inspired his 
military career, plunging him and his unit into the depths of enemy 
territory. He was consistently part of the first landing unit, an 
incredibly dangerous position reserved for a group of highly-skilled 
soldiers. These men constantly faced the possibility of death or injury 
given the uncertain nature of their job. His division was the Army's 
most highly decorated airborne unit and Captain Paul Bucha from his 
battalion was awarded with the prestigious Medal of Honor for his 
service in the Vietnam War.
  Hayes' tour in Vietnam had an action-packed start. He arrived right 
before the Tet Offensive, a major attack by the North Vietnamese Army 
and Viet Cong on five cities in South Vietnam. The coordinated attack 
took place at the end of January, 1968 during the Tet, a Vietnamese New 
Year celebration that was traditionally a time of decreased fighting. 
The Offensive was a huge surprise to the U.S. military and South 
Vietnamese troops. During the Viet Cong attack on the U.S. Embassy in 
Saigon, the 101st Airborne made up the assault force of paratroopers 
that landed on the roof of the embassy and successfully removed the 
Viet Cong from the premises. While this battle was a technical victory 
for the United States, the Viet Cong succeeded in inflicting 
psychological damage on the American people and military alike. The 
public had believed that the Vietnam War would be an easy victory, but 
the attack on the embassy foreshadowed a military endeavor that was 
longer and more complicated than anyone could have predicted.
  On March 14th, 1968, Sgt. Hayes was injured in action for the first 
time. While working as an assistant machine gunner, a bullet ricocheted 
off the barrel of a machine gun and went completely through his right 
leg. During his hospital stay after the injury, he insisted on 
receiving various combat reports from his unit to stay up-to-date on 
the progress of the war. He recalls feeling an incredible guilt for 
being away from his unit when they needed him most. Hayes told the 
doctor that if he did not clear him to return to combat, he would go 
AWOL in order to go back to his men. After just four weeks of recovery, 
he returned to the rough terrain of the Vietnamese jungle with a 
partially healed leg, ready to continue fighting.
  In August of the same year, Sergeant First Class Hayes was shot a 
second time, now in his left leg. His battalion had landed directly in 
an enemy-controlled territory. Hayes `pulled point,' or stood at the 
front of the formation, despite his high rank and the dangerous nature 
of the position, because he was well-versed in recognizing traps and 
other signs of enemy presence. It was then that a bullet from an enemy 
machine gun hit him, slicing away a large piece of his left leg. Even 
with his own injury, Hayes helped to save another wounded soldier 
before returning to combat the same day.
  One month later, though his platoon believed that they had 
successfully taken over a key North Vietnamese Army position, enemy 
troops unexpectedly returned. Hayes stood up to fire when a grenade 
landed directly next to him. He recalls experiencing this moment in 
slow motion: the grenade sluggishly rolling down a slope away from him 
before it mercilessly imploded. A piece of it hit him in the face, 
knocking him over. Fueled by pain and rage, Hayes continued to fight 
only minutes after his injury. The scar remains a visible reminder of 
that moment.
  Like other African American veterans who served, Sergeant First Class 
Hayes courageously fought two battles: the war overseas and the fight 
at home for equal rights. Hayes comes from a long line of military 
trailblazers. His father, aunt, and uncle all served during WWII, 
defending our democracy while facing unequal treatment both in 
segregated military units and at home. Their participation in the 
military during World War II helped plant the seeds for the American 
Civil Rights Movement. Another uncle, Sergeant Donald Rolls, lost his 
life in the Korean War. Through the Korean War, segregated African-
American units served in every war waged by the United States, 
performing in both combat and support capacities. The Vietnam War, 
which took place at the height of the domestic Civil Rights Movement, 
marked the first integrated U.S. military. However, SFC Hayes was not 
free from racial discrimination during his military career. It was the 
first time that soldiers of all races had worked together so closely, 
and he recalls the rough integration process of his battalion as well 
as the blatant discrimination he experienced when he left his southern 
training base. In 1967, he was deployed to work as a cook on the 
military base in Vietnam. But his stint as a cook only lasted three 
short weeks. After a racially-charged argument with a highly-ranked 
officer, Hayes was ordered to the front line of combat. He believes 
that he was given this difficult and dangerous assignment as a 
punishment for perceived insubordination. Notwithstanding the 
unforeseen change in assignment, Hayes entered his company in Vietnam 
as a cook and left as a Sergeant. Despite early racial tensions, 
animosity quickly drifted away as battles with the enemy brought the 
men together. Hayes' unit soon realized that, with death and defeat on 
the line, color and race meant nothing. Most importantly, in order to 
leave together, the men needed to fight together. In Hayes' words, 
``the battlefield knows no colors.'' This mentality created a brotherly 
bond amongst Vietnam War soldiers which had yet to be seen in the U.S. 
The men's selfless service and sacrifice allowed them to abandon the 
social norms of the time and to recognize one another as individuals.

[[Page E1036]]

  Following his honorable discharge in 1968, Sergeant First Class Hayes 
worked as a citizen soldier in the Reserve and National Guard branches 
of the Army. He served as a Human Relations Instructor in the Air Force 
Reserves from 1975 to 1977 and as a drill instructor in the United 
States Army from 1988 to 1998. After his long tenure of service to our 
country, Hayes earned his GED and a Bachelor of Science degree from 
Medaille College. He worked as an aircraft mechanic and as a 
correctional officer at the Erie County Detention Center. He now 
resides in Cheektowaga with his wife of 25 years and has nine children 
and fourteen grandchildren, some of whom have continued his family's 
legacy of military service. Sergeant Hayes remains active in local and 
national veteran communities, including designing an original military 
jewelry line, serving as a greeter at a veteran clinic in Batavia, and 
working as a docent right here at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & 
Military Park. We recently met Roland at a Buffalo Naval Park event and 
were inspired by his service and story.
  Many Vietnam Veterans returned home with little fanfare, including 
Roland Hayes, who has never received the recognition fitting of a 
soldier who served so valiantly and sacrificed so much. It has been our 
honor to share his story and pay tribute to his service, on behalf of a 
grateful nation. His story is one of resilience, breaking barriers, and 
beating the odds.
  I ask all members to join me in remembering all the great sacrifices 
made by those who serve.

                          ____________________