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| Millard Hayden was a 2nd Ranger Battalion, Company E staff sergeant during the D-Day attack on Pointe du Hoc. Painting is by Simon Smith https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78180146/millard-william-hayden http://merlinaviationart.com/product/vital-assault/ |
Millard William Hayden never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on October 3, 1918 in Virginia. His parents Thomas and Lucie were also both born in Virginia. His father worked as an oysterman and later as a farmer. Still later he got a job as an engineer. Millard had an older brother and sister and three younger brothers. By 1940 Millard had completed six years of education. He was living with an uncle working as a grinder in a sawmill.
He was drafted into the army on September 12, 1941. He volunteered for the Rangers and eventually became a staff sergeant in Company E, 2nd Ranger Battalion.
In the planning for D-Day, Sgt. Hayden's company along with Companies D and F were given the assignment of scaling the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, more than one hundred feet high, to take out powerful 155mm guns that threatened the invasion beaches and invasion forces. The attack began with 225 men, but 35 were lost in the sea before the rest made it to land. The Rangers successfully reached the top of the cliff and destroyed the guns, which had been moved back to avoid Allied bombing. The Rangers lost many men defending the high point from German counterattacks. After two days they were reduced to 90 men. Sgt. Hayden was killed on the first day, June 6, 1944.
His grave is at Corrottoman Baptist Church Cemetery in Ottoman, Virginia. His father died in December 1944 at the age of 50.
Last year on this date I profiled Pfc Earl Bradbury, an artilleryman who served in Okinawa. You can read about Earl here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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