Vernon Arnold Haugland

Vernon Arnold Haugland

Associated Press journalist
Born (1908-05-27)May 27, 1908
Litchfield, Minnesota
Died September 15, 1984(1984-09-15) (aged 76)
San Clemente, California
Education University of Montana
Known for Journalism
Parent(s) Claus Haugland
Hannah Haugland
Signature

Vernon Arnold Haugland (May 27, 1908 – September 15, 1984) was a reporter and writer for the 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.

Biography

Vern Haugland was born on May 27, 1908 at Litchfield, Minnesota. His parents were Claus and Hannah Haugland from Norway. He had four older siblings (Phillip, Herbert, Isabel, Mavis) and three younger siblings (Clifford, Clayton, Winnifred). The family left Litchfield and moved to a farm in Meagher County, Montana, in 1913. He attended Gallatin High School in adjacent Gallatin County, Montana. He became the high school newspaper's editor and his major was the study of journalism. Upon graduation, he enrolled in the University of Washington 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 $133.83 per month, working at the Glendale Station at their Yellowstone Division.[1] He also worked part time at the Commercial National Bank of Bozeman, Montana as a clerk. He completed his Bachelor of Journalism degree at UM in 1931,[2] where he was on the staff of that year's Sentinel.[3]

Physical description

As documented in the 1930 employment records of Northern Pacific Railroad, Haugland was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds. He had black hair and blue eyes. At the time 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 Missoula Sentinel and the Missoulian for two years. In 1933 started work for The Montana Standard, moving to Butte, Montana. In 1936 Haugland joined the Salt Lake City Bureau of Associated Press. He went on to the Los Angeles Bureau two years later. One of his assignments there was dating the ten "most eligible" Hollywood starlets.[4]

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

Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. War was declared and Haugland saw an opportunity in journalism, and volunteered for overseas duty as a war correspondent in 1942.[4] He was the first Associated Press reporter into Brisbane, Australia. On an assignment to New Guinea the B-26 Marauder bomber (s/n 40-1521) that he was on went off course and the pilot exhausted all the fuel before finding an adequate landing place. All aboard had to bail out and deploy parachutes. The event of August 7, 1942 caused Haugland to wander in the New Guinea jungles for at least 43 days without finding civilization.[5] In 1943 he wrote a book about his harrowing experiences, Letter From New Guinea.[6] General Douglas MacArthur awarded Haugland the Silver Star medal on October 3, 1942 for his heroism,[7] being the first civilian to receive this medal.[8] An Act of Congress was then put into effect on December 15, 1942 to be able to award the medal in the future to civilians.[9]

In 1943, Haugland continued to cover the Pacific Theater of World War II and contributed articles to Time, Newsweek, The Nation, and Plying magazines. In mid-1944 he returned to the United States for a short time and married his long-time sweetheart, Tesson Courtney McMahon (b. 1911) on June 3, 1944 in Butte Montana.[6][10] They had two daughters, Taya and Marcia ("Dell").[11]

Haugland became an "Air Correspondent" with the 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. He was assigned in 1945 to cover the Indonesian National Revolution events after the conclusion of World War II. There he contracted jaundice and was return in an emergency to the United States in the spring of 1946.[2]

Retirement and death

Haugland's 1951 assignment editing aviation materials at the Associated Press led him to cover the NASA space program until he retired. He was called "the world's most experienced splashdown reporter."[12] Haugland retired from the Associated Press in 1973 after being their aviation editor for more than 21 years. He and his family took up residence in San Clemente, California.[2]

According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index he died on September 15, 1984. He went by the name "Vern Haugland" and was issued his Social Security number before 1951 in the state of Utah.[13]

Works

Haugland never quit writing during his life. After leaving AP, he wrote two Eagle Squadrons books, focused on the American personnel during World War II (and prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor) who flew for the British. One titled The AAF Against Japan and another titled Caged Eagles: Downed American Fighter Pilots, 1940–1945 on the Eagle Squadrons, which his wife finished for him, after his death.[2][12]

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 1 over sized box, Collection Number Mss 153 (collection).[2]

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Ancestry (subscription), "U.S., Northern Pacific Railway Company Personnel Files, 1890–1963" (Vernon Arnold Haugland) dated April 28, 1930
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "Vern Haugland Dies; A.P. Aviation Writer". September 20, 1984.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Kane 1997.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ 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
  11. ↑ American Aviation Publications 1958, p. 194.
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. ↑ Ancestry (subscription) U.S. Social Security Death Index (1935–2014) Source Citation: Number: 528-03-9466; Issue State: Utah; Issue Date: Before 1951

Sources

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 29, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.