The Outsider

Ira Hayes enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17, leaving the Pima reservation in Arizona. He wanted to prove himself and serve his country, seeking to escape the limitations of reservation life and find a sense of purpose and belonging that his homeland could not provide.

The film establishes early that Hayes felt like an outsider even before leaving for boot camp, hinting at his lifelong struggle to find acceptance.

Hayes faced constant ridicule at boot camp and throughout his service, with fellow Marines mocking him as "Chief" due to his Native American heritage. This discriminatory treatment made him feel like an outsider within his own unit, compounding the alienation he already felt leaving his homeland.

The flag-raising on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945 made Hayes one of six servicemen immortalized in an iconic photograph that became a lasting symbol of World War II. This moment transformed him into a national hero, but the sudden fame and public expectations would later weigh heavily on his mental health.

The film depicts the flag-raising as both a literal and symbolic cornerstone, with Hayes subsequently pulled into the national propaganda machine.

Jim Sorenson, Hayes's only friend in the Marines who treated him with respect, was killed by enemy fire shortly after the flag-raising on Iwo Jima. This loss deeply affected Hayes, leaving him with survivor's guilt that would haunt him throughout his life.

After returning home, Hayes was pulled into the national propaganda machine and recruited to help sell war bonds, presenting himself as a model of national virtue. However, the public adulation clashed with his inner turmoil, he felt unworthy of the praise and could not reconcile the public image of a hero with his own sense of self-worth and personal trauma.

A tribal chief asked Hayes to travel to Washington, D.C. to advocate for political support for an irrigation bill that would benefit the Pima people. The chief hoped Hayes could use his status as a war hero to gain attention for the community's needs, believing his fame could translate into meaningful political action.

On November 10, 1954, Hayes attended the dedication of the Marine Corps War Memorial (the Iwo Jima Memorial) in Arlington, Virginia. This ceremony marked a turning point, experiencing the public milestone gave Hayes a rare moment of clarity and sobriety, offering a fleeting sense of purpose beyond the glare of fame.

After attending the memorial dedication, Hayes returned to the Pima Reservation only to find that the tribal council no longer wanted him involved in community affairs. This rejection deepened his despair and sense of alienation, contributing to his relapse into alcoholism.

Hayes's depression, trauma from the war, survivor's guilt over Sorenson's death, and the pressure of living up to the public image of a hero all contributed to his alcoholism. He used whiskey as a shield against intrusive memories and the weight of public expectation, but drinking only isolated him further.

Hayes died of exposure to the elements in the hills near the Pima Reservation in 1955, at age 32, ten years after the Iwo Jima battle. Feeling isolated and unable to reconcile his past with his present, he withdrew from the community and succumbed to the elements, marking the tragic end of a man torn between public memory and private pain.

Hayes traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for his people's irrigation project, but the trip yielded few immediate changes. He returned home still burdened by his past and his addiction, unable to find the meaningful purpose he had hoped for.