Hanshi McGrath Presents

Major William R. Hayes, USMC (ret.)

December's

Devil Dog

        Bill, which I am proud to be allowed to call him, since we are close friends for several years, is the gentleman who wrote the wonderful and heart warming book, “My Journey With The Grand Master. We first met, I believe, at a tournament, at Camp Lejeune, NC, run by Shihan Larry Isaac, in honor of Donald “Gunny” Bohan. I sit here writing this, while glancing at a picture, which Mr. Isaac has made an historic photo. The people pictured in that photo are all Masters in karate, Ralph Cherico, Bill Hayes and Larry Isaac (in front) Gary Alexander, Ed McGrath, Don Bohan, Ralph Passero, and Don Nagle. Within a short time, both Don Bohan and Don Nagle were gone. But some real friendships were made on that day, lasting friendships. I got to know both Larry Isaac and Bill Hayes, as good friends and decent men.

        Bill Hayes is one of the highest-ranking students of  Shorin-ryu Karate-do, under the tutelage of Grandmaster Shimabukuro, Eizo. Bill was not your ordinary student, he went far beyond that, while in the United States Marine Corps, he had the opportunity to be assigned tours of duty on Okinawa, frequently. While he started in the Corps, as an enlisted man, his dedication, brilliance and dedication to his duty finally brought him through the ranks and he retired from the Marines, as a Major, a Field Grade Officer. Those same attributes that drove him to success in the Corps drove him to the top of the class, in his karate studies. Bill Hayes is not the type who settles for a brush with knowledge; he digs in and makes it a part of his character and soul. While seemingly a friendly, calm and self-deprecating person he has a will of steel and wills himself to be the best at whatever task he undertakes. Loyalty in friendships is one example, for if he tells a friend that he will do something, it is as good as done. I count on him for assistance, from time to time, and I am never disappointed in his performance.

        Among the karate fraternity across the world, he has a reputation as a true gentleman, who seeks and absorbs knowledge, making him an international ambassador for Shorin-ryu Karate-do, who gives all of the credit for his prowess on the deck, not to his capabilities, but to his Sensei, Grandmaster Shimabukuro, Eizo, whom he reveres, as though he was a surrogate father. That makes it easy for me to connect with Bill, since I have always felt that same way regarding my Sensei of over four decades, Grandmaster Nagle. If I live to be a hundred, I would hope that Bill would still be my steadfast friend.

                  Biography of Major William R. Hayes, USMC (Ret.)

        Major Hayes was born on May 15^th, 1945, in New York City and enlisted in the Marine Corps in August of 1964.  While on active duty he served at a number of major posts including two tours in Iwakuni, Japan, and three tours on Okinawa, where he capitalized on the availability of martial arts instruction in an effort to continue his karate training, which began in 1960.  He also served two voluntary tours of duty in Vietnam (66-67 & 69-70).  During his second tour as a Staff Sergeant he was part of a martial arts demonstration team and helped teach over 450 Vietnamese Nationals.  His efforts resulted in a number of awards and commendations.

        In 1973, after nine years of enlisted service, Hayes was recommended and selected for both the ranks of Gunnery Sergeant and Warrant Officer.  He chose to become a Marine Officer and graduated as his platoon's Honor Man from the Warrant Officer Candidate Course in February of 1974 and thereafter served in a number of key billets as a Warrant Officer, Chief Warrant Officer, Company Grade Officer, and Field Grade Officer.  He retired in the grade of Major in October of 1990, the highest grade attainable in his military occupational specialty at the time.

        The Major is the Past President of the U. S. branches of the Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-do International Association and is also the past Historian of that Okinawa-based organization.  He publishes a quarterly international martial arts newsletter and is the author of an award-winning book, My Journey With The Grandmaster. 

        Major Hayes' teaching credentials as well as his red and white obi were personally awarded to him by his instructor, Grandmaster Eizo Shimabukuro of Okinawa.  Bill Hayes is one of the most senior and well-known of the Grandmaster’s students and has dedicated much of his life to the study, preservation, and development of Okinawan martial arts.  Major Hayes has appeared on the cover of OFFICIAL KARATE magazine and is listed in the Encyclopedia of Martial Arts (Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People).  He has also appeared in England’s FIGHTING ARTS INTERNATIONAL, Norway’s SVARTE BELTE (BLACK BELT), and Ireland's IRISH FIGHTING.  He has demonstrated Okinawan Karate and weaponry on several television programs and is featured in the 1994 video GREAT KARATE INSPIRATIONS. 

        Bill Hayes has been inducted into both the Karate Masters' Hall of Fame and the American-Okinawan Karate Association Hall of Fame.  He is a charter member of the Marine Martial Arts Federation and is the recipient of both the NAACP’s Roy Wilkins’ Meritorious Service Award and the Marine Corps League’s Distinguished Service Award, which were bestowed upon him as a result of his martial arts expertise.

        Major Hayes is currently the Director of the Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-do Research Society and is one of a small group of individuals officially designated "Black Belt Emeritus in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program" for having been instrumental in the creation and continuing development of the new, highly effective, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.  He is a member of the Omega Chi Delta Academic Honor Society, an honor attained while a student at Upper Iowa University.  He is also an International Executive Distributor with the Pharmanex nutrition product company and strives to share the connection between good health and good martial skills.  He lives, trains, and teaches in Stafford County, Virginia.

e

[return]