Moody Echol Hayes

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Gary Hayes, son on June 6, 2013:

Eulogy for Moody Echol Hayes Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us here at Rosecrans National Cemetery to bid farewell to Moody Echol "Eck" Hayes, a soldier, husband, father, Clamper, and friend, who passed away on the 29th of April at the age of 80. My name is Gary Hayes and I'm speaking today on behalf of my mother, Kitty Hayes, and my sister, Leslie Hayes Wolf. When Eck Hayes was about 20 years into his 30-year military career, his teenage son - who was fairly clueless at the time - asked Eck why he joined the military in the first place, and why he had made a career of it. Eck, who never suffered fools gladly, replied, "Because I loved parades when I was a kid, and always wanted to march in them." To a clueless 14-year old, this seemed plausible. But the military career of Eck Hayes, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) tells a completely different story. Eck's life in the military actually started five years before he was commissioned as an Army officer. Having graduated from high school at age seventeen, he spent a year at Marion Military Institute in Alabama, where he readied himself for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. At Marion, Eck played varsity football, finished first in his class academically, and received the Best All-Around Cadet Medal. Eck reported to the U.S. Military Academy in the Summer of 1951, and was, by all standards, a very successful cadet. He was athletic. Believing he was too light to play college football, he took his strength and agility indoors and became a four-year letterman in Gymnastics. He was disciplined. When Eck was at West Point, a cadet was allowed no more than 513 demerits in four years before facing discharge. Eck received just 80 by the time he graduated. And he was studious. In June of 1955, Eck was handed his diploma by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the 30th graduate in his class of 470 cadets. At graduation, Eck elected to go into the Artillery branch, because, in his own words, "I couldn't build a bridge worth a damn." But his career was much more than that of an Artilleryman - much, much more. He was, first and foremost, a SOLDIER who twice served his country in Vietnam. From '64 to '65, Eck was a military advisor and took part in counterinsurgency operations about which he once wrote, quote, "Ranger training really paid dividends." From '70 to '71, he returned to his artillery roots, commanding the Second Battalion of the Army's 35th Artillery. Eck Hayes was a SCHOLAR, who, among other qualifications, possessed a Master's degree in Spanish, studied Vietnamese at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, and "mastered the strategic art" at the US Army War College. Eck also served as an Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages at his alma mater, West Point. A man who speaks multiple languages and who has "mastered the strategic art" will inevitably be summoned into the field of DIPLOMACY, and Eck was: first as a military attache to the American Embassy in Uruguay, later, commanding the MILGROUP at the American Embassy in El Salvador, and finally, representing the US military at the Inter-American Defense Board in Washington, DC. As his career progressed, Eck was ordered to deploy his combat experience and his book learning in higher-level STRATEGIC assignments. And he did so, as a staff officer at the Pentagon's Army Operations Center and twice as a force-planning chief with the Pacific Command in Honolulu. At this point, I would be completely remiss if I failed to mention that during his long, varied, and often stressful career, Eck Hayes was always the consummate FAMILY MAN. This year he would have celebrated 55 years of marriage to his beloved wife, Kitty. Eck was intimately involved in his children's upbringing and development, offering advice and moral support even long after they had left the nest. And until his ailments finally caught up with him, he and Kitty enjoyed happy years of retirement at their homes in San Diego and Lake Tahoe. The career of Colonel Eck Hayes took him lots of places and confronted him with lots of challenges. Whatever Uncle Sam wanted him to do, whenever Uncle Sam wanted it done, Eck took care of it - and to the very best of his ability. And just because he liked parades? Around 700 BC, when the Assyrians moved westward to wage war with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the prophet Isaiah wrote, And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then said I, "Here am I; send me." (Is. 6:8) And this is what the military was for my father: a CALLING. A calling to which Moody Echol Hayes always replied, "Here am I, send me" - no matter what the circumstances. The military day concludes with Taps. The military honors about to be carried out here will conclude with Taps. So it is right and proper that I conclude this eulogy with the words from Taps: Day is done, gone the sun From the lake, from the hills, from the sky All is well, safely rest, God is nigh Thank you - everyone - for being here today. May God bless you, may He bless these United States of America, and may He bless those Americans in uniform who keep us safe every day. One last thing. You members of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, whose company Eck so enjoyed during his decade as a Clamper, tell me: "What Sayeth the Brethren?" Gary Hayes, son Military Funeral Service, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Cal June 4, 2013

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