RALPH HAAS, LTCOL, USMC
Ralph Haas '36
Lucky Bag
From the 1936 Lucky Bag:
Ralph Haas
Gadsden, Alabama
"Ralph"
It must have been with much reluctance that Gadsden parted with Ralph, for he did not join us until very late plebe summer. Because of this he began plebe year in an even denser fog than most of us, to the great delight of the first classmen and to his own great dismay. Once past plebe year, his troubles were confined to an occasional tour with the extra duty squad after some unsuccessful matching of wits with the "powers that be." As a snake he has not been consistent, although when not dragging to the hops, he is a source of vexation to those dragging 4.0s and O.A.O.s. As a roommate he has left little to be desired—whether called on to explain "how it works" or to produce chow or clothes. Ralph's ship will be a happy ship.
Class Football 4, 2, 1; Wrestling 4; Musical Clubs Show 3, 2, 1; Company C.P.O
Ralph Haas
Gadsden, Alabama
"Ralph"
It must have been with much reluctance that Gadsden parted with Ralph, for he did not join us until very late plebe summer. Because of this he began plebe year in an even denser fog than most of us, to the great delight of the first classmen and to his own great dismay. Once past plebe year, his troubles were confined to an occasional tour with the extra duty squad after some unsuccessful matching of wits with the "powers that be." As a snake he has not been consistent, although when not dragging to the hops, he is a source of vexation to those dragging 4.0s and O.A.O.s. As a roommate he has left little to be desired—whether called on to explain "how it works" or to produce chow or clothes. Ralph's ship will be a happy ship.
Class Football 4, 2, 1; Wrestling 4; Musical Clubs Show 3, 2, 1; Company C.P.O
Loss
Ralph was lost in the first night of fighting at Iwo Jima on February 20, 1945. From NPS.gov:
One high velocity round landed directly in the hole occupied by the 1st Battalion, 23d Marines' commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Haas, killing him instantly.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
As a freshman, he played saxophone in the sophomore orchestra in 1928 at Gadsden High School. In 1929 he played in the Alabama All State Band. He participated in the 167th Infantry, Alabama National Guard, regimental band in July 1931 and was to go into camp with the regiment in August at Fort McClellan.
His father was Isaac, retail grocery merchant, and his mother was Fedora.
In 1939, as a 1st Lt., he had been designated a naval aviator (#6053).
Of the 24 infantry battalion commanders who went ashore at Iwo Jima on D-Day, only "seven remained unwounded and still retained command at the battle's end."
His parents were listed as next of kin. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1936
LTjg John Duke '26
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
LTjg William Sisko '31
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
January 1937
LT John Duke '26
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
LTjg William Sisko '31
1LT Harold Larson '31
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
ENS Harold Von Weller '33
April 1937
LTjg Dudley Morton '30 (Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
ENS George Fuller '35 (Naval Finance & Supply School)
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
LT Richard Moss '24 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Renwick Calderhead '27 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LTjg Samuel Dealey '30 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LTjg John Huntley '31 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Albert Gray '31 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Glenn Dunagan '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Norman Ostergren '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Thomas Cummins '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Samuel Adams '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Irving McCann, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg James Fitzpatrick, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Ralph Beacham '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Curtis '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Richard McGowan '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Gordon Schecter '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Hubert Harden '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Clyde McCroskey, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Joseph Evans '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Richard Bull, Jr. '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Jack Moore '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
January 1939
LT Richard Moss '24 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Renwick Calderhead '27 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LT Samuel Dealey '30 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LT Alden Irons '31 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LTjg John Huntley '31 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Albert Gray '31 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg George Ottinger '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)
LTjg William Thorn '32 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Glenn Dunagan '33 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Norman Ostergren '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Samuel Adams '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Arthur Ely '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg James Fitzpatrick, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg John Curtis '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Gordon Schecter '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Hubert Harden '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
LTjg Clyde McCroskey, Jr. '35 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Joseph Evans '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Richard Bull, Jr. '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Jack Moore '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
ENS Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida)
October 1939
November 1940
April 1941
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