Butler Vietnam vet honored before Steelers game
By all accounts, Doug Hays, 79, of Butler, is lucky to be alive.
During his nine-month stint in Vietnam, he was wounded multiple times, enough to receive three Purple Hearts.
Not only did Hays survive the war, but on Monday night, Jan. 12, he stood on the field at Acrisure Stadium to be honored by tens of thousands of fans before the Steelers’ AFC wild-card playoff game.
“It was awesome,” Hays said. “We got to see some of the inner workings of the stadium and they treated me like a celebrity. I get to see things that other people never get to see. And the crowd was so receptive.”
Before his deployment, Hays attended Butler High School and worked at a meat market.
“I was into sports quite a bit,” Hays said. “I ran track, played some football and softball. I liked to hunt and fish. I was very active in the Boy Scouts.”
Things changed in January 1966, when he joined the Marine Corps and headed off to serve his country in the quickly escalating conflict in Vietnam. During his time in the service, Hays quickly ascended the ranks of command, rising from fire team leader to squad leader to platoon sergeant.
“I got meritoriously promoted twice, from lance corporal to corporal to sergeant,” Hays said.
Hays was deployed for less than a year, but during that time, he received three Purple Hearts.
“After I got my third Purple Heart, I found out that I wasn't allowed to be there anymore, so they sent me out of country to Okinawa,” Hays said.
Hays described his experience in Vietnam as harrowing and unpredictable.
“When you first got there, you didn’t know what to expect,” Hays said. “There were patrols every day and you had that fear that it could happen any minute. Every now and then there was a firefight.”
Despite the physical pain he endured, Hays says he’s glad to have answered the country’s call.
“I learned a lot from it,” Hays said. “It makes you appreciate life a lot more.”
After Hays touched back down in the United States, he attended college at Slippery Rock University and took a series of part-time jobs. The next major chapter of his life began in the early 1980s, when his friend, Dennis Rickard, ran for — and eventually became — Butler County sheriff.
“I told him I would help him and he asked me if I was interested in becoming a deputy and I said, ‘sure,’” Hays said. “It was very rewarding.”
In all, Hays stayed with the sheriff’s department for nearly three decades. During that time he rose from part-time deputy to chief deputy. He was effectively the “right-hand man” for Rickard throughout his entire tenure as sheriff.
Although Rickard retired from his post at the start of 2010, Hays stayed on for a short time as a part-time deputy under Rickard’s successor, Mike Slupe.
