First Lieutenant Alvin Hugo Haas, (1922-2009), was born in Queens, New York City, New York on October 7, 1922 to Hugh and Minnie Haas. Upon graduation in 1938 from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, he attended the City College of New York, New York University, and San Francisco Universities. Lieutenant Haas voluntarily enlisted on December 24th, 1941 at age 19 when you had to be 20 to go to Cadets flight training. "Don't you know they lowered the age to 18 just a week later! I was a GI until the following Sept after re-applying fore Flight   School. He passed all the tests with the highest scores, but was directed to Navigator Training. Lieutenant Haas was commissioned April 17, 1943. (#3 in class) and was chosen as an Instructor at Mathers AFB near Sacramento California. He Moved with the school to Ellington Field around November 1943 and then got orders to the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron. Upon arriving at Gulfport, Mississippi, he met Fred Naylor and one Sgt..that was all!  The 2nd ERS was almost completely formed there at that time and after a few days of no one else showing for the 3rd, we agreed that we would Volunteer for the 2nd!  "Kinda GuNg Ho?",  and away we went. I was assigned to fly with Nelson/Strub and Hundley was the crew chief.  Why I was chosen to fly that fateful mission (October 26, 1944) that crashed with a different crew is still  a Mystery! 

Lieutenant Haas was hit in the head the night or morning of the bombing (I believe it was Xmas Eve early morning) Lieutenant's Hunter and Naylor were badly injured and Lieutenant Mickey (Richard) Finn (the copilot on the crash crew), was killed! "They decided to send me home after two incidents and I did not fight it. I had 56 missions and about 550 combat hours since arriving in the Pacific." Lieutenant Haas headed back to the United States navigating a war weary "Gooney Bird", (C-47), from Townseville Australia...then to Ellington again for re-distribution and then the WAR ENDED and we all went home. 

Al wrote some music without too much success...went back to work in Wall Street; Married; 5 years in Advertising...AND THEN recalled to Active duty for Korea. "When I was recalled in 1951 I was trained as an RO (Radar Observer) and flew in 2 place Jet Fighters (84th FIS @ Hamilton AFB). I then was ordered to Korea and flew there in F-94 A&B's...continued in Japan and then luckily back to Hamilton where I continued to fly in F-89's.  Also flew as a Navigator while at Hamilton in stripped down B-29's doing Radar Calibration missions. Further at Hamilton, before Korea served as a Controller at Western Air Defense Hq. After Korea, I flew more in F-89s and then became the Operations Support Officer for the 28th Air Division. In 1959 was re-assigned to McClellan as a Navigator and flew some 2000 hours in RC-121 AEW&C aircraft and was an Assistant Flight Commander, IN and Master Navigator. I requested and obtained schooling as a Data Automation Officer and was reassign back to McClellan in the Logistics Command at McClellan as the Chief Management Branch of Data Automation. I continued to fly missions with the AEW & Connies and maintained IN Status. Ordered to Panama as the Data Automation Officer for USAFSO and served and flew throughout Central & South America in C-118's while being the OIC of Data Processing for the Command.  After 3 years I was assigned on a preferred assignment to the Air Force Data Sytem and Design Center at the Forrestal Nldg. in Washington D.C.

Mr. Haas retired while in the assignment in July 1970 and returned to California and sometime later went to work for the Bank of America as a Major (Data) Systems Project Manager....retired from the Bank in 1989."

Al passed away in San Rafael, California on 21 September 2009 at the age of 87.

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