When ‘They Saluted Him Home’ Thursday it was to honor his sacrifice both in the firefighting community and the military and it was to remember the hometown boy that grew up in Orofino with many of the same pastimes and pursuits of the other young people he grew up with in this small community.
The west side of the Orofino Bridge was lined with fire trucks, ambulances and other first responder vehicles while the east side of the Orofino Bridge was lined with people from fire, ambulance, law enforcement and of course community members. All were there to honor Thomas Patrick Hayes, ‘Tommy’ to some, as he was carried home.
He and copilot, Jared Bird of Anchorage, AK, died in the crash of their CH 47 ‘Chinook’ helicopter into Idaho’s Salmon River while assisting ground crews to fight the Moose Fire the afternoon of July 21. That is why the news and officials honored him with Idaho’s governor ordering all federal and state flags at half-staff and media stories spreading all over the country.
But that is not how he will be remembered by those who knew him. His family will remember him as a son, father, brother, grandson, nephew and more. His Maniac friends will remember their days at Orofino High School participating in sports and outdoor activities like fishing and hunting. Kane Steinbruecker, now Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association Chief Fire Warden, will remember their days on a crew at Boehls Cabin when Tom got his first taste of wildland firefighting. Jim Engle will remember their time in a very small aviation community with CW4 (Chief Warrant Officer 4) Hayes in Afghanistan where he was part of the 10th Mountain Brigade. There they had the opportunity to catch up and reminisce about Orofino and Tom’s father Tim.
“Tom’s aviation background is substantial among even the professional aviators reading this. He wrenched on Blackhawks before going through Army flight training in 2002-03. Tom’s ability to lighten any situation is well-known among the tightly knit Chinook helicopter community. His entire career was steeped in aviation maintenance, and he held FAA mechanic, helicopter instructor pilot and commercial airplane pilot certificates.
“In the military, Tom worked in South Korea, all over the U.S. and on hazardous duty operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the ‘Horn of Africa.’ After retiring from his 20-year Army career, he worked Chinooks for Helimax Aviation and Billings Flying Service, before dabbling in airplanes and smaller helicopters. This fire season, he chose to work with a new team at ROTAK Heli, once again on his favorite machine, the CH47 Chinook.” -- his obituary reads
And the memories will continue even beyond the funeral services scheduled at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, in the conference room at the Best Western Lodge at Rivers Edge. His obituary says he will be carried by a carriage with horse and buggy through town and then out to the cemetery with Military and US Forest Service Honor Guard. There will also be fly-ins by Chinook helicopters in honor of Tom for his service to both country and state. Following the ceremony at the cemetery, there will be a Celebration of Life at the Best Western for sharing memories and friendships.
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