A Tyrone native with a well-known name has taken command of a Pennsylvania National Guard battalion based at the Huntingdon, Tyrone, Altoona and Bellefonte armories and headquartered in Lewistown.
Maj. Sam Hayes III has taken command of the 2nd Battalion/112th Infantry which is part of the Guard’s new Stryker Brigade Combat Team — one of just seven such units in the U.S. Army and the only one in the reserve component.
Hayes is one of just 21 of the Army’s Stryker infantry battalion commanders.
Hayes is the son of former state Secretary of Agriculture and 81st Legislative District Rep. Sam Hayes Jr., and Betty Lee Hayes.
“It’s an honor and a challenge,” Hayes III told The Daily Herald.
Stryker units are based on the highly mobile, eight-wheeled Stryker vehicle used extensively in Iraq. Hayes said the vehicles will come to the local armories sometime in the next 12 to 18 months and are already arriving at Fort Indiantown Gap where soldiers are training with the vehicles and other high-tech computer equipment.
“You’ll see them driving down (Route) 22,” Hayes said.
This command places Hayes in charge of the majority of National Guard forces located in south-central Pennsylvania.
“It’s a significant milestone for both the unit and for Maj. Hayes that he has been asked to lead this battalion,” said Lt. Col. Walter Lord, 28th Division’s Chief of Operations, Plans and Training. “He has the experience, education and leadership style that will prepare them for combat and make them successful at everything they do.”
While assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard, 28th Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team transformation team, Hayes was responsible for the facilitation and oversight of the 56th Brigade Combat Team’s transformation to a Stryker unit, something he terms “an incredibly large task.”
“It will take several years to complete the entire process,” Hayes said. “It’s a complete reorganization of the entire brigade. All and all, this transformation is somewhere between $1.5 and $2 billion.”
The new equipment allows the unit’s soldiers to maintain greater situational awareness, Hayes said. He also noted that for the state active duty mission having the Stryker vehicles in local armories gives the Guard a greater capability to respond to emergencies such as flooding.
“They’re eight-wheeled vehicles. They’ll go about anywhere and there’s communication between vehicles,” said Hayes.
Hayes said about half the SBCT’s allotment will be at “The Gap” with the remainder kept at home bases.
As reported previously in The Daily News, The Herald’s sister paper, the transformation to a Stryker force means the building of a new armory in Huntingdon.
“The old facility served the unit well but it won’t work for a Stryker organization,” Hayes said, adding that the Lewistown facility is also being upgraded.
Hayes graduated from Tyrone Area High School in 1985 and attended the Pennsylvania State University graduating in 1990 with a BS in agricultural science and earning a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the Infantry. His subsequent military education included the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, Armor Officer Advanced Course, the Combined Arms Service Staff School and the Army Command and General Staff College. Hayes also earned a masters of education from the Pennsylvania State University in 1997.
Hayes’ military career began in April 1986 as he enlisted as an Anti-Armor Specialist Assigned to the Combat Support Company, 2/112 IN in Altoona. Upon commissioning, he was assigned as a Anti-Armor Platoon Leader and Scout Platoon Leader with the 2/112th Infantry. In 1991, he was assigned to the Headquarters, 2nd 112th Infantry in Lewistown, serving in a number of command and staff positions including company commander, battalion operations officer and battalion executive officer.
In 2003, Major Hayes deployed to Kosovo with 2/112th Infantry as the battalion executive officer, assigned to Multi-National Brigade East. Upon redeployment, Major Hayes was reassigned as the Deputy G3 (Operations) for the 28th Infantry Division.
Hayes’ awards and decorations include the two Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, Kosovo Campaign Medal and the NATO Medal. He is Ranger qualified and has earned the Parachutist, Air Assault and Pathfinder badges.
Hayes said he joined the military for a number of reasons. He said his family instilled a belief in service. Also, as a new high school graduate, he was looking for a challenge “and the Army provided that.”
Hayes currently lives in Newport with his wife, Hilary, and their son, Nathan.
“It is truly an honor to serve as the commander of this great organization,” said Hayes. “The soldiers of this battalion understand that their service to our nation is vital and have clearly demonstrated that they are willing to bravely make the sacrifice. They understand that their service preserves freedom for all of us and feel compelled to serve in a time when many feel no personal responsibility to make the sacrifice.”
