Wesley M. Hays

Wesley Hays, from Novice, Texas, served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) as a pilot with bombing fighting squadron VBF-10 during World War II, in 1945. He was a lieutenant. While on board Intrepid, Hays flew Vought F4U Corsairs and participated in missions over Okinawa, as well as the attack on the battleship Yamato. He received the Navy Cross for scoring a hit on a Japanese cruiser on April 7, 1945. Hays was attached to Intrepid when the ship experienced its last kamikaze hit in April 1945.

After the war, Hays remained in the reserves for a number of years and retired as a commander. He had the opportunity to fly jets while in the reserves. Hays worked as a sales executive for Snap-On Tools and then owned and operated a Western Auto store.

The Intrepid Museum interviewed Hays for the oral history collection (OHP.095). The Museum also interviewed his wife, June (OHP.096). Wesley Hays died in 2018.