Vietnam Veteran Died Trying To Save Family

“He’s our hero” – Vietnam veteran dies trying to save his family from their burning home 
WHNT 19 News Alabama
BY LAURA CHRISTMAS
NOVEMBER 10, 2015

"He was a hero then, he was a hero trying to save us that night," Dana Hayes

ROSALIE, Ala. (WHNT) -- A Jackson County man nearly died while fighting in the Vietnam War; injured so badly medics didn't think he'd make it when they found him all those years ago. Jim Hayes' family says he was a hero then and say he's a hero now - because he died trying to save their lives. 

"He was a wonderful man," says Jim Hayes' wife Dana. Jim Hayes was sent over to Vietnam as member of the U. S. Army. "He was very proud to serve," Dana explains, "He would have even gone back if they let him."

She recalls how Jim would always thank veterans every time he saw one, even though he was one himself. He was wounded in the war, earning him a Purple Heart. "He was a hero then, he was a hero trying to save us that night," Dana says. read more here