Vernon Arnold Haugland

Vernon Arnold Haugland (May 27, 1908 – September 15, 1984) was a reporter and writer for Associated Press. As a war correspondent, he documented World War II events as they occurred. He was the first civilian to receive the Silver Star medal – awarded normally only to members of the United States Armed Forces.

Vernon Arnold Haugland
Associated Press journalist
Born(1908-05-27)May 27, 1908
Litchfield, Minnesota, United States
DiedSeptember 15, 1984(1984-09-15) (aged 76)
San Clemente, California, United States
EducationUniversity of Montana
Known forJournalism
Parent(s)Claus Haugland
Hannah Haugland
Signature

Biography

Vernon Haugland was born on May 27, 1908, at Litchfield, Minnesota. His parents were Claus and Hannah Haugland, who emigrated from Norway. He had six older siblings (Jul, Owen, Herbert, Isabel, Effie, Mavis) and four younger siblings (Phillip, Clifford, Clayton, Winnifred). The family left Litchfield and moved to a farm in Meagher County, Montana, in 1913. Haughland attended Gallatin High School in adjacent Gallatin County, Montana, where became the high school newspaper's editor and majored in journalism. Upon graduation, he enrolled in the University of Washington, where he studied from 1927 through 1928. In September 1929 he enrolled at the University of Montana (UM). During his time at the university he worked part-time at Northern Pacific Railroad as a stenographer for US$133.83 per month, working at Glendale Station's Yellowstone Division.[1] He also worked part-time as a clerk at Commercial National Bank of Bozeman, Montana. Haugland completed his Bachelor of Journalism degree at UM in 1931,[2] where he was on the staff of that year's Sentinel publication.[3]

Physical description

According to the 1930 employment records of Northern Pacific Railroad, Haugland was six feet three inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed one hundred and sixty-five pounds (75 kg). He had black hair and blue eyes. At the time of recruitment, he was 22 years old, single and living with his parents in the 600 block of Mendenhall Street of Bozeman, Montana.[1]

Career

Haugland started his journalism career at the publications Missoula Sentinel and Missoulian for two years. In 1933 he started work for The Montana Standard before moving to Butte, Montana. In 1936 he joined the Salt Lake City Bureau of Associated Press then moved to the Los Angeles Bureau two years later, where one of his assignments was dating the ten "most eligible" Hollywood starlets.[4]

Map of New Guinea, with place names as used in English in the 1940s

When Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, war was declared and Haugland saw an opportunity in journalism, and in 1942 he volunteered for overseas duty as a war correspondent.[4] He was the first Associated Press reporter in Brisbane, Australia. On August 7, 1942, during an assignment to New Guinea, the B-26 Marauder bomber (s/n 40-1521) in which he was traveling went off-course and the pilot exhausted his fuel before finding an adequate landing place. Everyone aboard had to bail out and deploy parachutes. Haugland wandered the New Guinea jungle for at least 43 days without finding civilization.[5] He was hospitalized on 23 September in a greatly weakened state.[6] In 1943 he wrote a book titled Letter From New Guinea about his experiences.[7] General Douglas MacArthur awarded Haugland the Silver Star medal on October 3, 1942, for his heroism;[8] he was the first civilian to receive this medal.[9] An Act of Congress was put into effect on December 15, 1942, to enable to the medal to be awarded to civilians in future.[10]

In 1943, Haugland continued to cover the Pacific Theater of World War II and contributed articles to Time, Newsweek, The Nation and Flying magazines. In mid-1944 he returned to the United States for a short time and married his long-time sweetheart, Tesson Courtney McMahon (b. 1909-d. 1994) on June 3, 1944, in Butte Montana.[7][11] They had two daughters, Taya and Marcia.[12] Haugland became an "Air Correspondent" with Associated Press in 1945. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he was attached to a special group of AP correspondents who were the first journalists to arrive there. In 1945 he was assigned to cover events of the Indonesian National Revolution after the conclusion of World War II, where he contracted jaundice and in early 1946 he was returned in an emergency to the United States.[2]

Other writing

Haugland continued writing throughout his life. After leaving the Associated Press, he wrote two Eagle Squadrons books, focusing on the American personnel during World War II (and prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor) who flew for the United Kingdom. After his death, his wife finished two of his books; The AAF Against Japan and Caged Eagles: Downed American Fighter Pilots, 1940–1945.[2][13]

Selected works
  • Haugland, Vern (1992). Caged Eagles: Downed American Fighter Pilots, 1940-1945. Tab Aero. ISBN 0830621466. OCLC 23654628.
  • Haugland, Vern (1979). The Eagle Squadrons: Yanks in the RAF 1940-1942. Ziff-Davis Flying Books. ISBN 0871650282. OCLC 5428497.
  • Haugland, Vern (1982). The Eagles' War. Jason Aronson. ISBN 0876684959. OCLC 8195076.

Retirement and death

Haugland's 1951 assignment editing aviation materials at AP led to him covering NASA's space program until he retired; he was called "the world's most experienced splashdown reporter".[13] Haugland retired from AP in 1973 after being its aviation editor for more than 21 years. He and his family moved to San Clemente, California.[2] According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, Haugland died on September 15, 1984, in Reno, Nevada, while attending a reunion of the Eagle Squadrons. He went by the name "Vern Haugland" and was issued his Social Security number before 1951 in Utah.[14]

Legacy

Haugland continued writing throughout his life. After leaving AP, he wrote two Eagle Squadrons books, focusing on the American personnel during World War II (and prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor) who flew for the United Kingdom. After his death, his wife finished two of his books; The AAF Against Japan and Caged Eagles: Downed American Fighter Pilots, 1940–1945.[2][13]

Haugland's collected papers are archived at the University of Montana; the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections of "Vern Haugland Papers 1908–1987" consists of 11.75 linear feet and one over-sized box, Collection Number Mss 153 (collection).[2]

References

Citations
  1. Ancestry (subscription), "U.S., Northern Pacific Railway Company Personnel Files, 1890–1963" (Vernon Arnold Haugland) dated April 28, 1930
  2. "Vern Haugland Papers". Archives West, Orbis Cascade Alliance. University of Montana. 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  3. Walker, Wendy (1931), Sentinel, Missoula, Montana: University of Montana, p. 43, retrieved December 16, 2015
  4. "Haugland, Vern, 1908–1984". Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  5. "Escapes Wilds". The Desert News. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 24, 1942. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  6. Associated Press, "Army Doctors Fight To Save A. P. Writer", The San Bernardino Sun, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 27 September 1942, Volume 49, page 2.
  7. "Vern Haugland Dies; A.P. Aviation Writer". September 20, 1984.
  8. Kenney, George Churchill; Hallion, Richard P. (1949). "General Kenney Reports (page 106)" (PDF). Air Force History and Museums. United States Air Force. Retrieved December 16, 2015. During the afternoon General MacArthur drove over to the hospital on the edge of Port Moresby and pinned a Silver Star on Vern Haugland, an AP correspondent who had parachuted from a B-26 over the jungle on August 7th and had finally been picked up by the natives twenty-five days later.
  9. Kane 1997, p. 58.
  10. "Silver Star Medal Display Recognition". In Recognition of Military Service or Award. The American War Library. Retrieved December 16, 2015. Authorization for the Silver Star was placed into law by an Act of Congress for the Navy on August 7, 1942 and an Act of Congress for the Army on December 15, 1942. The primary reason for congressional authorization was the desire to award the medal to civilians as well as the Army. The current statutory authorization for the Silver Star Medal is Title 10, United States Code, Section 3746.
  11. Folkedahl, Beulah (1959). "The Syftestad Family since l800". Archive.org. University of Wisconsin. Retrieved December 17, 2015. Pacific air war during World War II; in August, 1942, bailed out of a disabled bomber over New Guinea and took 42 days to find his way out of the Jungle; reported Okinawa campaign in Its entirety; entered Tokyo with the invading forces; was with the first group to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki; decorated by General MacArthur with the Silver Star, the first civilian award of that medal; twice given Medal of Valor by Headliners Club; wrote Letter from New Guinea , a book relating his experiences on that island; wrote also The AAF against Japan, 1948, the story of all the air forces In the war against Japan; contributes articles to such magazines as Time , Newsweek , The Nation , Plying m. Tesson Courtney McMahon, Butte, Montana, June 3, I944 lives at 219 Holmes Road, Palls Church, Va.; with Washington Bureau of Associated press. Two children – Taya and Dell – page 108
  12. American Aviation Publications 1958, p. 194.
  13. Messenger, Robert (January 29, 2015). "Shock-Troops of the Press – and their Typewriters". oxTypewriter The Wonderful World of Typewriters. Canberra, Australia. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  14. Ancestry (subscription) U.S. Social Security Death Index (1935–2014) Source Citation: Number: 528-03-9466; Issue State: Utah; Issue Date: Before 1951

Sources
  • American Aviation Publications (1958). Who's who in World Aviation and Astronautics. American Aviation Publications.
  • Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997). Famous First Facts, Fifth Edition. # 1662: The H. W. Wilson Company. ISBN 0-8242-0930-3. The first Silver Star Medal awarded to a civilian was presented by General Douglas MacArthur to Vern Haugland, Associated Press correspondent, on October 3, 1942. He was a passenger on an army airplane forced to descend in New Guinea during World War II. After 43 days in the jungle, he reached civilization.CS1 maint: location (link)
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