Story and photo by Tawny Archibald Campbell/The Bayonet
FORT BENNING, Ga. (TRADOC News Service, Feb. 25, 2005) -- There was a time when 29-year-old Windrell Hayes thought he had it all.
He had a beautiful wife, a college education and a career with the National Football League.
After being released from the New York Jets in October 2001 and spending the following spring with the Green Bay Packers, Hayes realized he wasn’t all that happy with his life. He didn’t enjoy playing professional football, and he wasn’t having fun.
“I got into football because my brother played, and I was jealous of all the attention he got,” Hayes said. “When I wanted to quit in high school, people got mad at me, so I just rode with it.”
Once he was drafted into the NFL, football was “just a job,” he said. It was then Hayes decided to give up his football career and do something he could be proud of, something that would make his family proud. He joined the infantry.
“This was something I really wanted to do; it wasn’t a last resort of any kind,” said Pfc. Hayes, 1st Battalion, 329th Infantry Regiment. “I felt like this was the right thing to do. I played football for a while and was living off what I had made, but I wanted something more.”
Once he decided to join the Army, there was no turning back. He packed his bags, kissed his wife and two children and left for what he calls “the heart of it all.”
“I didn’t want to be an officer, because this is my first time in, and I want the whole experience of the Army,” Hayes said. “I knew physically I could hang with anybody in the infantry, and mentally I’d be OK.”
Only four weeks into basic training, Hayes knows his decision to leave the stadium and move on was a good one. As a private, he is making less money, but that doesn’t bother him.
“Fortunately I’ve seen both sides of the fence, and it’s more important to do something you enjoy,” he said. “I think the only reason I (played) ball was because I was caught up in the money. When it came down to it, money wasn’t important.”
Hayes now focuses on being a good Soldier and leader. His football training comes in handy at Sand Hill.
“In (football), you learn to push your body and not quit. You might crawl, but you don’t stop,” Hayes said. “In football, you get told what to do, and you learn not to take offense. It motivates you.”
Hayes said the same is true in the Army.
“Basic training is a lot like spring training,” he said. “But this is more interesting – I get to play with weapons and roll in the dirt and navigate terrain.”
Company commander Capt. John Westbrook said Hayes is a “good example of a citizen Soldier.”
“He’s definitely an asset to the platoon,” Westbrook said. “He’s not arrogant or egotistical about where he came from. He’s very committed to being a Soldier, and it’s evident in the way he carries himself.
“He’s not trying to spotlight himself,” Westbrook said. “He doesn’t want special treatment. He’s just one of the guys.”