He nearly starved to death, but for his heroism, General Douglas MacArthur awarded him the Silver Star medal.

He had six older (Jul, Owen, Herbert, Isabel, Effie, Mavis) and four younger siblings (Phillip, Clifford, Clayton, Winnifred).

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.

Haugland completed his Bachelor of Journalism degree at UM in 1931,[2] where he was on the staff of that year's Sentinel yearbook.

[5] He became well known locally for his coverage of the 1935 Christmas Day mass murders committed by William H. Knight and for the famous Mahan Kidnaping case.

[7] 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.

[12][13][14] He was finally found on 19 September in a remote Papuan village by missionaries who carried him through the jungle and returned him to the army five days later.

[15] Haugland had written a detailed diary of the first 32 days of his struggle for survival including eating bramble berries and drinking the juice of grassy weeds.

With the assistance of the local tribesmen, they took Haugland on a five-day trek thru the jungle to a coast port where an Australian army unit was stationed.

[20] Haugland was hospitalized at Port Moresby on 24 September in a greatly weakened state as Australian doctors used injections of medicine to bring him back to health.

[21][22] On October 3, 1942, General Douglas MacArthur awarded Haugland the Silver Star medal for his heroism.

[32][33][34] 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.

[2] In 1951 Haugland's job editing aviation materials at AP led to his covering NASA's space program.

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.