A Villager received her famous father’s World War II Silver Star as an early Christmas gift.
Taya Mahoney of the Village of Amelia was recently presented with the replacement medal by Congressman Daniel Webster.
Her late father, Vernon A. “Vern” Haugland, served as a journalist for the Associated Press during the 1930s and went on to volunteer as a civilian war correspondent after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While covering U.S. activity in the Pacific Theater, Haugland was injured and stranded in New Guinea for 43 days before being rescued. Haugland’s heroism was recognized by Gen. Douglas MacArthur who personally awarded him with the Silver Star Medal. MacArthur pinned the Silver Star on the correspondent’s Army-issue pajamas — making him the first civilian to receive the honor.
In the years following Haugland’s passing, his Silver Star Medal was lost.
“Ms. Mahoney was informed one of her only options was to purchase a replacement medal through the market at her own expense. Ms. Mahoney contacted my office with concerns regarding the cost of the medal, the unofficial nature of the procurement and the lack of documentation to accompany the medal and prove entitlement to the award,” said Webster, a Republican who represents The Villages.
The Congressman’s staff contacted several agencies, including the National Personnel Records Center, the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense to explain the situation and request a replacement. The Department of Defense was able to locate several of Haugland’s records proving his entitlement to the Silver Star.
“The Department of the Army provided an official replacement medal which I had the honor of presenting to Ms. Mahoney in recognition of her father’s service,” Webster said.
Haugland was the eighth of 11 children of Norwegian immigrants. He was born in Minnesota, but his parents moved to Montana when he was 5. After college, he joined the Montana Standard in Butte before jumping to the AP. He later covered the space program and was aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima in 1970 when the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission ended with a safe splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean.
