Former Jets WR is now an ARMY sniper

By Scott Linesburgh
Record Staff Writer
July 15, 2007 6:00 AM
When he's out in the field, alone and armed with a rifle, Army Spc. Windrell Hayes' thoughts drift toward his family.

How are his children? Is his mom OK? Will he see any of them again?

What he doesn't do is spend much time thinking about football, or how he went from being a local football star who played in the NFL to being an Army sniper.

Football is no longer important to the Stockton resident because he is comfortable with the decisions he's made.

"I'm a sniper. That's my primary job, and I think I'm very suited for it," said Hayes.

He was selected to be a sniper after posting expert marks on the firing range.

"This is how the Army feels I can best serve my country. It is tough, and it's not for everyone," he said in reference to focusing the sight of his M-24 sniper rifle on another human being and pulling the trigger. "I guess I'm lucky that I'm not the type to freak out about things like that."

Shooting at people strikes another nerve with most, even when it's your job to do so.

"There's no easy way around it; it's a completely different deal when you are aiming at another person," he said softly. "You are looking at real people through your scope. On a range, you're shooting at metal targets. You hear it if you hit it.

"But over there (in Iraq), you see what you hit. You see the results."

Hayes, 30, was a star receiver at St. Mary's and Franklin high schools and the University of Southern California who went on to play the same position for the New York Jets. He joined the Army three years ago and is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, with the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division. He went to Iraq in 2005 and is awaiting his second deployment.

He said knew what he was agreeing to do and is dedicated to the cause in Iraq.

"I look at it that we are rebuilding Iraq, and it's a very dangerous place," he said. "It's our job to keep innocent people safe. That's why we're there while they rebuild the country."

But his mother, Mona Champagne of Stockton, said there are moments when her son is home that she can see through the tough exterior to the tenderness inside.

"He hasn't opened up a lot, but I can tell sometimes it's heavy on his mind," Champagne said. "He said if you don't want to really know, don't ask, because it's pretty heavy. I won't ask a lot of stuff, because he said it's pretty bad."

Hayes said a sniper's duties also include standing guard. He is often deployed, in groups of two or more, on guard installations or roads.

"If we're guarding a road, for example, I would have a 50-caliber rife and watch for vehicles which are not authorized to be on the road," he said. "If you see one, you aim for the engine block and disable the vehicle. For just about anything else, you use the M-24."

When he's on those types of assignments, sometimes late at night, in those moments he thinks about his mom, daughter Shalajia, 11, and sons Perish, 6, and Micah, 3.

"Things just pop into your mind," Hayes said. "You worry about what's going on with the family. But, of course, you have to concentrate on your duties."

During much of his youth, Hayes was focused on football. The Jets picked him in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and he spent two seasons with the team but didn't get much playing time.

In 2002, he tried out for the Green Bay Packers but didn't make the team.

Instead of continuing to go to tryouts, he opted for another line of work.

"It was exciting, and pro football is definitely something I'm glad I experienced," Hayes said. "But at that level, it was just a job. I just felt there was more I could do with my life."

As a child, he had thought of being in the military. But football had pushed that idea aside. He found the urge returning in his late 20s. His mom, who was always his biggest fan when it came to football, was not a fan of the new career choice.

"I'm proud because this is what he wants, but I wish he hadn't (joined) because of the war," Champagne said. "It's just killing too many of our young people. I feel for those who have already lost loved ones to this crazy war. I just wish it was over with."

Hayes said his experiences in football training camps helped him in basic training. When he was asked to go to sniper school, he had a talk with Tom Verner, his football coach at Franklin, who said he was a Marine infantry sniper during the Vietnam War. Verner told Hayes to "keep your head down and don't become a KIA (killed in action)," and to ask himself an important question:

"Are you going to kill another human being? Anyone has to ask themselves if they can put them in your sights and shoot," Verner said. "That's what you have to know, and honestly, I don't think you be can sure of the answer until that day comes."

Hayes said he was always sure of his answer and remains so as he prepares to return to Iraq.

One of his primary thoughts, always, is that he is doing the right thing.

"I believe in what I'm doing," Hayes said. "And that's the one thing that can get you through everything."

Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh at (209) 546-8281 slinesburgh@recordnet.com.

HOME