USS Enterprise VS-6 John Hays

[T1gertank519]

John F Hays was born November 15th, 1921 in the Irish ghetto of East St. Louis, Missouri. He had a less than stellar childhood- growing up during the Great Depression in an area that was already financially drained. Following the 8th grade, his father was able to send John to Chaminade Catholic Boarding School. He played football, and as a senior in high school, he was chosen to be the Running Back for the All-State team of Missouri. Hays was being scouted by Notre Dame, and he would have had a promising future in football would it not have been for the draft notice he received on the 21st of January, 1941. As a 19-year-old in the Naval Reserve, John was youthful and optimistic about a peacetime navy and the opportunities that lay ahead. He took his boot camp in San Diego and upon graduation was sent to Naval Air Station Seattle for Aviation Metalsmith School. While in Seattle he met a girl named Lucille who worked as a Rosie the Riveter for Boeing. Young John fell in love, but sadly the needs of the Navy came first. It would be almost three years later before he would see Lucille again. After a short “hop” to Ford Island on the Carrier Lexington, Johnnie arrived onboard his permanent station, CV-6, the USS Enterprise. As an Aviation-Metalsmith-mate, he was put to good use spotting and repairing planes as a “Deck Ape” in VS-6 (Scouting Squadron 6).

 

With war on the horizon, outposts like Wake Island played crucial roles as buffer zones between the Japanese Empire and the United States. Enterprise further fortified Wake Island against the coming conflict by delivering Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-211 on December 1st or 2nd, depending on which side of the International Date Line you were on. Enterprise’s sailors expected to return to Pearl Harbor on December 6th, but the same storm concealing the Kidō Butai and the coming Japanese attackers also considerably slowed the “Big E”. The next morning, as Ensign Manuel Gonzales of VS-6 flew into the Harbor, the sailors and airmen of his squadron heard as Manuel frantically screamed "Please don't shoot! Don't shoot! This is an American plane!" In the moments that followed, he was heard ordering his gunner to bail out of the plane. John lost a personal friend that day, and the unfortunate crewmen became the first naval casualties of World War 2. Hays had personally talked with Gonzales and handled his plane that very morning, and now he was gone. Nosing into Pearl Harbor the next morning, the surroundings were ablaze with flames. Sunken and capsized ships crowded the black, oil-filled water, and sailors drifted peacefully along the waves. The men of the Enterprise now had more reason than ever to fight back against the Imperial Japanese Navy. 

 

On December 10th, Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers belonging to Hays’ squadron sank Japanese submarine I-70, drawing first blood as the premier Japanese combat vessel to be sunk during the war. Less than 2 months later, John was with the “Big E” when she hit the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, then Wake Island which was enjoyable retributions for all. They were at the Doolittle Raid, the crucial Battle of Midway, the Capture and Occupation of Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and the Battle of Santa Cruz. While fighting during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 24th, 1942, a Japanese dive bomber successfully placed a bomb on the flight deck just aft of the island, wiping out the starboard gun crew and peppering John with shrapnel. Two months later, the Enterprise was hit twice more at the Battle of Santa Cruz. The second bomb penetrated the flight deck just behind the forward elevator. As the bomb split in two, half of the bomb exploded in the hanger deck, while the other half exploded in the third deck. Due to the force of the explosion in the hanger deck, John was sent flying 200 feet through the air in a ball of fire. Luckily for Hays, the saltwater put out the fire. Men on deck were eventually able to get the disoriented sailor back aboard, but the burns along his chest and face were still very serious. He was taken to the medical bay where an Australian doctor healed him with a combination of tea tree oil and gauze. Due to the nature and location of his burns, he was never again able to grow facial hair- including a beard. After light action at Guadalcanal and Rennell Island, in July of 1943, the “Big E” arrived back at its berth in Bremerton, Washington for urgently-needed repairs and refitting.

 

While in Washington he took advantage of all the time he could get to marry Lucille. At the Bremerton Locker Club Tailor Shop, he had a silk-lined Navy jumper custom-tailored for the special occasion. Because the Enterprise was still laid up in repairs, he transferred to the Astoria Naval Air Station in Oregon, awaiting the commissioning of the U.S.S. Shipley Bay of which he was a plank holder. He did temporary duty aboard the U.S.S. Casablanca to become an aviation "Gas King" and back to the Shipley for two years as leading Petty officer of the gas crew. John participated in the battle of Okinawa between May 7th and May 16th, supporting the 352 sorties and missions flown by the flight group of the Shipley Bay. On the 17th, the ship had to return to Guam for repairs after a collision damaged her aviation fuel tanks. In June, the Shipley Bay returned to Okinawa and was successful in knocking out several Japanese airfields and kamikaze bases. A few months later, American forces dropped atom bombs on the Japanese homeland, finally forcing a conclusion to the war in the Pacific. John Hays returned to San Diego and then was sent to Seattle to be discharged on the 19th of September, 1945. John was now a changed man. When he entered the Navy, he was a simple 19-year-old kid with no real idea of what was in store for him. Now at 24 years old, he had seen fierce combat in 9 of the Pacific theatre’s most renowned battles. He was wounded twice, having shrapnel forever embedded in his body, and burn scars that would be permanent. 

 

After the war, John returned to St. Louis with his wife and son, and in May of 1946 his daughter was born. The VA was able to help John earn a college grant that would satisfy his growing interest in chemistry. He worked in a chemical laboratory until his father died, at which point he moved to the West Coast and entered Seattle University. Upon obtaining his degree he went to work for the Shore Division of National Lead, two years later to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, then Boeing Aircraft, and then became a lead chemist for Bardahl in their Industrial Division. The air force offered him a civilian job in the quality assurance department, which he readily accepted. He went into Contracts Administration followed by even more schooling. Once he had his master’s degree, John worked as a monitor for C.S.C.S. Contracts. He conducted testing of oils, fuels, lubricants, and the development of new aircraft. Hays served as a Lead Scientist and performed a crucial role as a specialist for petroleum and metal products. One of his notable roles was overseeing the quality of the build on the B1 Bomber. He finished his career at an undisclosed testing facility within the Nellis Test Range at the age of 70. John F. Hays passed away July 28th, 2002 with enough stories and memories to far surpass his 80 years. Shortly after John’s death, it was discovered that his 45% disability had very little to do with the shrapnel in his body, but more so with the emotional effects of the war, including PTSD. He was incredibly proud of his service, especially concerning his time with the crew of the Enterprise- always affectionately known by him as the “Big E”. 
 

As a side note, the ribbons were restored by an amazing guy @7tharmored and the jumper was researched and identified on this forum many months ago. Thank you to those who helped me along the way! 

[joeclown]

Beautiful story a brave man. The greatest generation.

[manayunkman]

A wonderful tribute to a fine sailor.

 

I take it you were able to interview him?

[jerry_k]

Very impressive grouping!

[Corporal Kang 0311]

Wow!    Amazing collection.   

[T1gertank519]

On 8/14/2021 at 5:42 PM, manayunkman said:

A wonderful tribute to a fine sailor.

 

I take it you were able to interview him?

Sadly he passed away before I was old enough to be interested in this hobby. I was not even born yet if I am being truthful 😅. Luckily, he wrote in detail about his service at the local VFW. His son was also incredibly helpful providing photos and documents to help me learn about John. 
 

Thank you for your kind words! 
Preston

[T1gertank519]

On 8/14/2021 at 1:16 PM, joeclown said:

Beautiful story a brave man. The greatest generation.

Thank you. Indeed they are the Greatest Generation 

[T1gertank519]

On 8/16/2021 at 11:05 AM, jerry_k said:

Very impressive grouping!

Thank you! 

[T1gertank519]

On 8/16/2021 at 2:06 PM, Corporal Kang 0311 said:

Wow!    Amazing collection.   

Thank you for your kind words! It takes a long time to write the stories to go along with the uniforms. 

[KASTAUFFER]

Great write up! I have a group to a Radioman from Scouting 6 who died in the Marshall Island raid in Feb 1942.