Michael Joseph Hayes (1894 – 14 October 1918) was born in Youngstown, Ohio and was a student athlete at Colgate University and a First Lieutenant in the United States Army.

[4] Hayes joined the Army in 1917 and won his commission at first officer training school in Plattsburgh, New York.

In the 1918 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden Hayes took 1st place in the half-mile in full equipment.

[6] For his actions he received a citation from the Army: "On Aug 14, 1918, with great courage and coolness, he led a patrol of three men and himself to the rescue of his company commander, who was lying approximately twenty yards in front of a German machine gun post of greatly superior numbers, and with great courage and dash attacked this machine gun post, inflicting several casualties with hand grenades and rifle fire, and drew heavy fire from machine guns and somehow managed to return with his patrol to safety.

[7] An excerpt from his award reads: "In the face of direct fire from enemy machine-guns upon his platoon, disregarding his own personal safety, he went forward to reconnoiter and find cover for his men from which to continue the attack.