Rank: Captain
Unit: B Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
MOS: 1204 – Armored Reconnaissance Unit Commander
Awards: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Unit awards: Presidential Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Award, Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm device
Enlisted by: Regular
Commission Source: United States Military Academy Class of 1965
Date of birth: 24-Sep-1943
Hometown: Winter Haven, Florida
Marital status: Married to Leslie A. Hays
Campaign: Vietnam Conflict
Entered service: 9-Jun-1965
Start of tour: 9-Jan-1968
Incident date: 8-Nov-1968
Date of casualty: 8-Nov-1968
Age at death: 25
Cause of death: Hostile, died. Small Arms Fire. Gun or small arms fire.
John Hulsey Hays died from wound received while at night defensive position when engaged hostile force in firefight.
Location of fatality: Binh Long, South Vietnam, XT 705 845*
Place of interment: Lakeside Memorial Park, Winter Haven, Florida, USA
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DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS
POSTHUMOUS
CAPTAIN JOHN HULSEY HAYS, ARMOR
8 NOVEMBER 1968
B TROOP, 1st SQUADRON
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
Captain Hays distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Captain Hays distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 8 November 1968 while serving as the commander of an armored cavalry troop near An Loc. As Captain Hays was leading two platoons of his unit and a light tank section on a sweep through an area of dense rubber trees, a North Vietnamese Army force unleashed an intense barrage of small arms, automatic weapons and antitank rocket fire. He immediately led a charge toward the attackers, pushing them into another section of the rubber trees. The remaining enemy then joined with a still larger North Vietnamese Army element and began a determined defense. During the course of the fierce engagement, Captain Hays manned a machine gun and directed a tremendous volume of suppressive fire, while also coordinating his force through the use of hand and arm signals which left him dangerously exposed. Suddenly his vehicle received a direct hit from an antitank rocket, knocking him to the ground. Although dazed, he ignored his injuries and, remounting the track, continued to fire the machine gun. When a group of North Vietnamese soldiers made a direct assault on his position, he killed two of them and scattered the rest. A few moments later his vehicle received another direct hit from an antitank rocket mortally wounding him. Captain Hays’ extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Headquarters, United States Army Vietnam General Orders No. 5896 (30 December 1968)
SILVER STAR
CAPTAIN JOHN HULSEY HAYS, ARMOR
30 MAY 1968
B TROOP, 1st SQUADRON
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
Captain Hays distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 30 May 1968, while serving as Commanding Officer of Troop B, 1st squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, on a reconnaissance in force mission in conjunction with an Army, Republic of Vietnam regiment. As his troops approached an area of dense vegetation, it came under sudden fire from both flanks and the front. Immediately after executing a retrograde movement, Captain Hays directed artillery support and airstrikes against the hostile fortifications. At this point, Captain Hays courageously led an assault against the enemy positions. Although two of his platoon leaders were seriously wounded during the initial moments of the attack, Captain Hays rallied his men onward and began eliminating the bunker positions one at a time. When the lead elements became completely surrounded by insurgent forces, Captain Hays immediately rushed to their aid and led them onward to completely overrun and rout the enemy force from the area. During the hours of darkness, Captain Hays positioned his men in observation posts to prohibit the enemy from removing arms and their dead comrades from the battlefield. Captain Hays’ extraordinary heroism in close combat against a Viet Cong force is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Headquarters, 9th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 6412 (August 6, 1968)
ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
WITH VALOR DEVICE
CAPTAIN JOHN HULSEY HAYS, ARMOR
7 MARCH 1968
HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS TROOP, 1st SQUADRON
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
Captain Hays distinguished himself on 7 March 1968, while serving as a Patrol Leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, on a combat mission in Long Khanh Province, Vietnam. As the ambush patrol was maneuvering in an area of dense vegetation, it suddenly came under hostile fire. After directing his men into defensive positions, Captain Hays ordered a cease fire, lest their position be compromised. Observing seven additional Viet Cong approaching the area, Captain Hays accurately directed supporting artillery. Although the enemy was still searching for the patrol, Captain Hays expertly utilized hand grenades to confuse and eliminate the enemy soldiers. Captain Hays refused extraction, and personally directed the artillery support onto suspected hostile mortar positions. Captain Hays heroic actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Headquarters, 9th Infantry Division General Orders No. 5598 (10 July 1968)