Penn Yan, N.Y., October 10 – State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C-Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) today joined other area officials and family members, friends, and fellow veterans to honor the memory of United States Army Sergeant James S. Hayes of Penn Yan through the official designation of a section of State Route 14 in Yates County as the “Sergeant James S. Hayes Memorial Highway.”

 

O’Mara and Palmesano introduced and sponsored this year’s legislation (S.1899A/A.6661, Chapter 350 of the Laws of 2025) authorizing the designation. Under the measure, which was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in late August, the portion of State Route 14 “beginning at its intersection with Plum Point Road in the town of Milo, County of Yates, continuing in a northerly direction, and terminating at its intersection with State Route 54, also known as Main Street, in the village of Dresden,County of Yates, shall be dedicated to Sergeant James S. Hayes.”

 

O’Mara and Palmesano said they sponsored the legislation at the request of the Hayes family and Yates County Veterans Service Agency Director Douglas Gibbs to honor Hayes’ memory and pay tribute to his life and service.

 

Hayes was born in Geneva, New York in 1983 and later moved to Penn Yan where he graduated from Penn Yan Academy High School in 2001. Upon his graduation from high school and in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks on America, he enlisted in the United States Army on January 13, 2002 and served three tours overseas – a combat tour in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and two combat tours in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).

 

Hayes was a highly decorated combat veteran. For his service, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Parachutist Badge.

 

He was honorably discharged from the Army at the rank of Sergeant on June 3, 2005 and returned home to Penn Yan where he and his high school sweetheart and wife, Amanda, had two children, Damion and Rebecca.

 

After leaving the Army, Hayes fought a lengthy battle with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He lost that battle on August 23, 2020, in an automobile crash when his vehicle went off the road along the portion of the highway being dedicated in his memory. He was 37 years old.

 

Family, friends, and fellow veterans remember Hayes as a devoted and loving husband and father, a loyal and true friend, and a brave and proud soldier and patriot who loved his country. In 2019, he was the honoree at the 8th Annual Warrior Benefit Concert, an annual fundraiser held at the American Legion Greece Post 468 in Rochester to support local veterans and active-duty military. 

 

Hayes is also remembered as the proud inventor of the “Barrett Ball,” described as a “virtually indestructible dog toy” named after his faithful companion, friend, and service dog, Barrett.

 

This morning’s designation ceremony was held at Bravery Winery in Dresden, whose founder and owner Corey Christman, a veteran of the United States Air Force, is recognized as a staunch supporter of veteran, military spouse, and first responder focused non-profit organizations.

 

O’Mara, Palmesano, and Gibbs joined Hayes’ wife, Amanda, their children Damian and Rebecca, his mother, Rose, brother, Robert, other family members and friends, fellow veterans, and area officials at today’s tribute, which included the unveiling of the state Department of Transportation signage ceremony designating the “Sergeant James S. Hayes Memorial Highway.”

 

In a joint statement, O’Mara and Palmesano said, "Sergeant Hayes was a hero and a patriot who served our nation with enormous courage and pride. Like so many of America’s veterans, he returned home and faced a long and hard- fought emotional battle in the aftermath of combat service to our nation. It was a struggle that he fought with all his heart, strength, and soul to the end. To his enduring credit, he never lost sight of the overriding importance of family, community, and country. It is our hope that this designation will stand as a lasting tribute and testament to the life and service of Sergeant James Hayes. We hope that it will help to express the collective respect of our local community, our entire region, the State of New York, and our nation. We envision the ‘Sergeant James S. Hayes Memorial Highway’ as an enduring honor.”