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On August 7, 1942, during an assignment to [[New Guinea]], he was a passenger in a [[Martin Marauder|B-26 Marauder bomber]] (s/n 40-1521) that drifted off-course in a heavy thunderstorm. The pilot exhausted his fuel before finding a place to land and everyone aboard had to parachute out. Haugland received quick instructions and then jumped out at 13,000 feet. He landed safely and wandered the New Guinea jungle for 43 days without finding civilization.<ref name=TG10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= MacArthur giving aid in New Guinea |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80301175/ |newspaper=The Gazette|location=Montreal, Canada|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> He nearly starved to death, losing 70 pounds as he searched for rescue in the wilderness.<ref name=Kenny>{{cite web |url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100526-032.pdf |title=General Kenney Reports (page 106) |last1= Kenney|first1=George Churchill |last2=Hallion |first2= Richard P.|date=1949 |website=Air Force History and Museums |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=December 16, 2015 |quote=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.}}</ref> He was finally found on 19 September by missionaries in a remote Papuan village and was returned to the army five days later carrying him through the jungle. He recorded in a diary the first 32 days of his survival including that of eating bramble berries and drinking the juice of weeds.<ref name=TM10_7_1942_partB>{{cite news |author= |title= MacArthur |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80298991/|newspaper=The Mercury|location=Pottstown, Pennsylvania|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref><ref name=TCJ9_30_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Diary Pictures sheer suffering of reporter 43 days in Jungle|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80304433/ |newspaper=The Courier-Journal|location=Louisville, Kentucky|date=September 30, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref><ref name=TPN9_29_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Diary relates the story of writer in Jungles 32 days |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80308978/|newspaper=The Paris News |location=Paris, Texas|date=September 29, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
On August 7, 1942, during an assignment to [[New Guinea]], he was a passenger in a [[Martin Marauder|B-26 Marauder bomber]] (s/n 40-1521) that drifted off-course in a heavy thunderstorm. The pilot exhausted his fuel before finding a place to land and everyone aboard had to parachute out. Haugland received quick instructions and then jumped out at 13,000 feet. He landed safely and wandered the New Guinea jungle for 43 days without finding civilization.<ref name=TG10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= MacArthur giving aid in New Guinea |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80301175/ |newspaper=The Gazette|location=Montreal, Canada|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> He nearly starved to death, losing 70 pounds as he searched for rescue in the wilderness.<ref name=Kenny>{{cite web |url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100526-032.pdf |title=General Kenney Reports (page 106) |last1= Kenney|first1=George Churchill |last2=Hallion |first2= Richard P.|date=1949 |website=Air Force History and Museums |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=December 16, 2015 |quote=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.}}</ref> He was finally found on 19 September by missionaries in a remote Papuan village and was returned to the army five days later carrying him through the jungle. He recorded in a diary the first 32 days of his survival including that of eating bramble berries and drinking the juice of weeds.<ref name=TM10_7_1942_partB>{{cite news |author= |title= MacArthur |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80298991/|newspaper=The Mercury|location=Pottstown, Pennsylvania|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref><ref name=TCJ9_30_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Diary Pictures sheer suffering of reporter 43 days in Jungle|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80304433/ |newspaper=The Courier-Journal|location=Louisville, Kentucky|date=September 30, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref><ref name=TPN9_29_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Diary relates the story of writer in Jungles 32 days |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80308978/|newspaper=The Paris News |location=Paris, Texas|date=September 29, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>


Haugland was hospitalized on 24 September in a greatly weakened state.<ref name=TSBCS9_27_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Army Doctors fight to save A. P. Writer |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80298065/ |newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun|location=San Bernardino, California|date=September 27, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> General [[Douglas MacArthur]] awarded Haugland the Silver Star medal for his heroism on October 3, 1942.<ref name="Kenny">{{cite web |url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100526-032.pdf |title=General Kenney Reports (page 106) |last1= Kenney|first1=George Churchill |last2=Hallion |first2= Richard P.|date=1949 |website=Air Force History and Museums |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=December 16, 2015 |quote=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.}}</ref><ref name=LDN10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Medal On Pajamas; MacArthur Pins It, Honoring A.P. Man |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80296170/ |newspaper=The Cincinnati |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref><ref name=TDA10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Army Silver Star awarded news reporter |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80339822/ |newspaper=The Daily Advertiser |location=Lafayette, Louisiana|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> He was the first civilian to receive this medal and was back reporting in a month.{{sfn|Kane|1997|p=58}}<ref name=TBHC10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= MacArthur honors AP correspondent |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80340045/ |newspaper=The Bristol Herald|location=Bristol, Tennessee|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> Subsequently, on December 15, 1942, Congress enacted legislation to enable the medal to be awarded to civilians in the future.<ref name="amvets">{{cite web |url=http://www.amervets.com/replacement/ss.htm#sam |title=Silver Star Medal Display Recognition |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=In Recognition of Military Service or Award |publisher=The American War Library |access-date=December 16, 2015|quote=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.}}</ref> In 1943 he wrote a book titled ''Letter From New Guinea'' describing his experiences.<ref name="NYobit">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=September 20, 1984|title=Vern Haugland Dies; A.P. Aviation Writer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/20/obituaries/vern-haugland-dies-ap-aviation-writer.html?_r=0}}</ref>
Haugland was hospitalized on 24 September in a greatly weakened state.<ref name=TSBCS9_27_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Army Doctors fight to save A. P. Writer |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80298065/ |newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun|location=San Bernardino, California|date=September 27, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> General [[Douglas MacArthur]] awarded Haugland the Silver Star medal for his heroism on October 3, 1942.<ref name="Kenny">{{cite web |url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100526-032.pdf |title=General Kenney Reports (page 106) |last1= Kenney|first1=George Churchill |last2=Hallion |first2= Richard P.|date=1949 |website=Air Force History and Museums |publisher=United States Air Force |access-date=December 16, 2015 |quote=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.}}</ref><ref name=LDN10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Medal On Pajamas; MacArthur Pins It, Honoring A.P. Man |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80296170/ |newspaper=The Cincinnati |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref><ref name=TDA10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Army Silver Star awarded news reporter |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80339822/ |newspaper=The Daily Advertiser |location=Lafayette, Louisiana|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> He was the first civilian to receive this medal and was back reporting in a month.{{sfn|Kane|1997|p=58}}<ref name=TBHC10_7_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= MacArthur honors AP correspondent |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80340045/ |newspaper=The Bristol Herald|location=Bristol, Tennessee|date=October 7, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
<ref name=TSBCS11_21_1942>{{cite news |author= |title= Vern Haugland back on A.P. beat again |url= |newspaper=The San Bernardino County Sun | location=San Bernardino, California|date=October 21, 1942 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
Subsequently, on December 15, 1942, Congress enacted legislation to enable the medal to be awarded to civilians in the future.<ref name="amvets">{{cite web |url=http://www.amervets.com/replacement/ss.htm#sam |title=Silver Star Medal Display Recognition |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=In Recognition of Military Service or Award |publisher=The American War Library |access-date=December 16, 2015|quote=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.}}</ref> In 1943 he wrote a book titled ''Letter From New Guinea'' describing his experiences.<ref name="NYobit">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=September 20, 1984|title=Vern Haugland Dies; A.P. Aviation Writer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/20/obituaries/vern-haugland-dies-ap-aviation-writer.html?_r=0}}</ref>


===Conclusion of the war and beyond===
===Conclusion of the war and beyond===

Revision as of 11:12, 27 June 2021

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

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. During an assignment to New Guinea, he was a passenger in a bomber that ran out of fuel. He had to parachute out at 13,000 feet. Landing safely he then spent 43 days in the jungle living off the land. He nearly starved to death, but for his heroism General Douglas MacArthur awarded him the Silver Star medal. He was the first civilian to receive the medal – awarded normally only to members of the United States Armed Forces.

Biography

Vernon Haugland was born on May 27, 1908, in Litchfield, Minnesota to Norwegian immigrants Claus and Hannah Haugland. He had six older (Jul, Owen, Herbert, Isabel, Effie, Mavis) and four younger siblings (Phillip, Clifford, Clayton, Winnifred). In 1913, he family moved to a farm in Meagher County, Montana. Haughland attended Gallatin High School in adjacent Gallatin County, where he majored in journalism and became the school newspaper's editor. From 1927 to 1928, he studied at the University of Washington.. In September 1929 he enrolled at the University of Montana (UM). While matriculating at UM he worked part-time at Northern Pacific Railroad as a stenographer for US$133.83/month at the Glendale Station's Yellowstone Division.[1] He also was a part-time 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 yearbook.[3]

Career

Beginnings at the AP

Haugland began his journalism career at the Missoula Sentinel and Missoulian. In 1933 he started writing crime stories for The Montana Standard when he relocated to Butte, Montana.[4] He became well known locally for his coverage of the 1935 Christmas day mass murders by William H. Knight and for the famous Mahan Kidnaping case.[5] In 1936 he joined the Associated Press' Salt Lake City Bureau, then, two years later, transferred to the Los Angeles Bureau, where one of his assignments was dating the ten "most eligible" Hollywood starlets.[6] When Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Haugland saw an opportunity in wartime journalism, and in 1942, volunteered as a war correspondent. He was the first Associated Press reporter in Brisbane, Australia.[6]

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

The Silver Star

On August 7, 1942, during an assignment to New Guinea, he was a passenger in a B-26 Marauder bomber (s/n 40-1521) that drifted off-course in a heavy thunderstorm. The pilot exhausted his fuel before finding a place to land and everyone aboard had to parachute out. Haugland received quick instructions and then jumped out at 13,000 feet. He landed safely and wandered the New Guinea jungle for 43 days without finding civilization.[7] He nearly starved to death, losing 70 pounds as he searched for rescue in the wilderness.[8] He was finally found on 19 September by missionaries in a remote Papuan village and was returned to the army five days later carrying him through the jungle. He recorded in a diary the first 32 days of his survival including that of eating bramble berries and drinking the juice of weeds.[9][10][11]

Haugland was hospitalized on 24 September in a greatly weakened state.[12] General Douglas MacArthur awarded Haugland the Silver Star medal for his heroism on October 3, 1942.[8][13][14] He was the first civilian to receive this medal and was back reporting in a month.[15][16]

[17]


Subsequently, on December 15, 1942, Congress enacted legislation to enable the medal to be awarded to civilians in the future.[18] In 1943 he wrote a book titled Letter From New Guinea describing his experiences.[19]

Conclusion of the war and beyond

In 1943, Haugland continued to cover the Pacific Theater, contributing articles to Time, Newsweek, The Nation and Flying magazines. In mid-1944 he returned to the United States and, on June 3, 1944, married his long-time sweetheart, Tesson Courtney McMahon (1909-1994) , in Butte Montana.[19][20] They had two daughters, Taya and Marcia.[21] 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 at the bomb sites. In 1945, after the war ended, he was assigned to cover the Indonesian National Revolution and contracted jaundice. In early 1946, the illness precipitated an emergency return to the United States for treatment.[2]

NASA, retirement and death

Haugland's 1951 job editing aviation materials at AP led to his covering NASA's space program. He was known, until he retired, as "the world's most experienced splashdown reporter".[22] In 1973, after acting as AP's aviation editor for more than 21 years, Haugland finally retired. He and his family moved to San Clemente, California.[2] According to the U.S. Social Security Death Index, he died on September 15, 1984, in Reno, Nevada, while attending an Eagle Squadrons' reunion.

Selected works

  • Caged Eagles: Downed American Fighter Pilots, 1940-1945 (1992)
  • The Eagle Squadrons: Yanks in the RAF 1940-1942 (1979)
  • The Eagles' War (1982)

Legacy

Haugland continued writing throughout his life. After leaving the Associated Press, he wrote two Eagle Squadrons books, focusing on American personnel who flew for the United Kingdom prior to and during US involvement in World War II. After his death, his wife completed two of his books; The AAF Against Japan and Caged Eagles: Downed American Fighter Pilots, 1940–1945.[2][22]

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. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ "Former Standard Reporter now writes for AP in Australia". The Montana Standard. Butte, Montana. March 8, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  5. ^ "Former Montana Reporter now A.P. Star". The Independent Record. Helena, Montana. March 4, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  6. ^ a b "Haugland, Vern, 1908–1984". Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  7. ^ "MacArthur giving aid in New Guinea". The Gazette. Montreal, Canada. October 7, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ a b 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. ^ "MacArthur". The Mercury. Pottstown, Pennsylvania. October 7, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  10. ^ "Diary Pictures sheer suffering of reporter 43 days in Jungle". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. September 30, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  11. ^ "Diary relates the story of writer in Jungles 32 days". The Paris News. Paris, Texas. September 29, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ^ "Army Doctors fight to save A. P. Writer". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. September 27, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  13. ^ "Medal On Pajamas; MacArthur Pins It, Honoring A.P. Man". The Cincinnati. Cincinnati, Ohio. October 7, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  14. ^ "Army Silver Star awarded news reporter". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. October 7, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  15. ^ Kane 1997, p. 58.
  16. ^ "MacArthur honors AP correspondent". The Bristol Herald. Bristol, Tennessee. October 7, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  17. ^ "Vern Haugland back on A.P. beat again". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. October 21, 1942 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ a b "Vern Haugland Dies; A.P. Aviation Writer". September 20, 1984.
  20. ^ Folkedahl, Beulah (1959). "The Syftestad Family since 1800". 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
  21. ^ American Aviation Publications 1958, p. 194.
  22. ^ a b 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.

Sources

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