WWII Ace Arthur Van Haren Jr.

On June 19, 1944, as United States and Japanese forces engaged one another during the Battle of Saipan in the Mariana Islands, the VF-2 fighter squadron from the USS Hornet flew numerous missions to attack enemy positions and protect the fleet from air attack. The Aircraft Action Report describes one such intense air battle on June 19, 1944, and quotes Lt. Arthur Van Haren Jr. regarding his actions that day: 

Two Zekes [Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen (Zero Fighter) Model 52 ZEKE] destroyed in air. 

No. 1 
“I spotted a group at 11 o’clock down. There were 12-15 Zekes at 15000 [feet]. Redmond and I went down in a dive. I lost sight of Redmond as he was shooting at one in another section. I blew one up in a deflection shot from 8 o’clock as it pulled up. It pulled right into me trying to do a loop and get on my tail.” 
 
No. 2 
“On the same run I pulled to starboard and got another, level, as it started to climb. I had a speed advantage and pulled into it from 7 o’clock level.” 
 
No. 1 corroborated by Lt. (jg) Carlson; No. 2 by Lt. (jg.) Redmond. 

The actions taken that day by Lieutenant Van Haren Jr., along with additional action from earlier in the campaign, would result in the awarding of his first Distinguished Flying Cross because “his courage and skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.” This was just the beginning of a career that would see him become one of the most successful Latino American naval aviators of World War II. 

Arthur Van Haren Jr. was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. His great-grandfather, Peter Van Haren, was a Dutch immigrant who settled in Chihuahua, Mexico. He first married Francesca Morales, who passed in 1872, and later married Dolores Granillo, Arthur’s great grandmother, who eventually settled in Phoenix, Arizona, when Arthur’s father was still young. The family found a growing Mexican-American community in Arizona, and the family continued to grow in Arizona. Arthur’s father, Arthur Van Haren Sr., served with the 89th Infantry Division during World War I, setting a precedent for military service in the family. Van Haren Jr. grew up in Phoenix, and his Dutch last name may have shielded him from some of the prejudices that other Mexican-Americans faced at that time. Daniel Van Haren, the son of Arthur, stated in the book A Legacy of Courage: The Story of Arthur Van Haren, Jr. that, “He was a Mexican growing up with a non-Mexican name and I don’t think it was necessarily that he shied away from being a Mexican, but I think he decided that he was going to be something a little bit more than just another Mexican kid.” Van Haren Jr. had dreams of pursuing his natural talent in baseball to the major leagues, and started attending the University of Arizona in 1938, but the outbreak of World War II changed his path as it did so with many others at that time. 

Van Haren Jr. had originally considered following his father into the U.S. Army, but he eventually enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1941. Although he had no previous experience with flight, Van Haren Jr. proceeded to enter the flight training program after his enlistment. During his preliminary flight training in California, Arthur met Elizabeth Yates, who he would marry and who became a critical support for him as he dealt with the ravages of the air war in the Pacific. After completing his flight training, Van Haren served for a year as a flight instructor in Jacksonville, Florida. In June 1943, he joined VF-2, “The Rippers,” and trained in the Grumman F6F Hellcat. In November 1943, he was stationed aboard the USS Enterprise, where he perfected his skills as a carrier pilot. His first combat missions came during the Gilbert Islands campaign during which Van Haren flew missions to protect troops landing on the islands and attack ground targets in support of the invasion. The book A Legacy of Courage: The Story of Arthur Van Haren, Jr. contains a quote from his diary in which he wrote: 

Nov. 18, 1943: Well, tomorrow is the big day! We take off at 4:00 A.M. and hit “Makin” at dawn. I don’t know quite how I feel about it. I can say for sure though I sure don’t feel like dying. Believe you me I’m going to be one “heads up” boy. I could get it, I guess, but it will be easy for me. I’ll never know it. Please God take care of my B [his wife]…Just a touch of jitters I guess—kind of like the night before a football game—only a little more for keeps. I’ll be alright as soon as “the first shot is fired” P.S. I’m firing the first one. 

Van Haren participated in numerous attacks during the campaign, conducting strafing and bombing runs on enemy positions and witnessing the first losses of American planes and pilots. At the completion of the campaign, Van Haren and VF-2 were transferred to the CV-12 USS Hornet. He participated in numerous bombing runs during various attacks, including those on New Guinea and the Caroline Islands. Van Haren would achieve his greatest successes, however, in June and July of 1944, during the opening days of the campaign over the Mariana Islands. 

On June 11, 1944, Van Haren earned his first Distinguished Flying Cross during an escort mission in support of U.S. aircraft bombing Japanese positions. Van Haren wrote about the flight in a diary entry:  

June 11, 1944: Well the first old hurdle is down! We really had an aerial battle for a change. Zekes and plenty of them! We shot down 23 of them. I got two all by myself. They make lively fires and it was a glorious feeling indeed. Funny how I wasn’t a bit scared and just used my old noggin-head! I’m a bit jittery now though…. 

A few days later, Van Haren would earn an Air Medal for his actions over the Philippine Sea. He wrote in his diary, “June 19, 1944: I will never forget this day! After what the Navy air corps did today. I’m proud to be one little member of it. They started coming after us in flocks this morning from all angles. However, very few of them got to ever take a look at our fleet….” He would continue to fly missions against Japanese assets through the month, and eventually joined the elite group of naval aviation aces on July 3, 1944. 

During the July 3 mission, Van Haren engaged with a superior number of Japanese aircraft while providing cover for a U.S. bombing mission against Kazan Island. Van Haren described the attack in his Aircraft Action Report: 

No. 1: 

“We went in at 13000 feet and I spotted one at 3000. Latimer (Lt.(jg)) and I dove on it and I got it from 6 o’clock above. It blew up” 

No. 2:  

“Then we climbed back up and there was a dog-fight going on at 8-9000. I got into it and got my second from 8 o’clock above. It blew up.” 

No. 3: 

“Then Latimer and I became separated and I engaged one in a dog-fight at 7000 for 3-5 minutes. I got a shot at it from head-on, level. It started to smoke and went in.” 

The three aircraft Van Haren shot down that day, when added to the two previous aircraft from his June mission, allow him the five aircraft total of an ace. He earned a gold star for his Distinguished Flying Cross for the mission, with the citation citing “His courage and skill at all times were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.” The missions, however, were beginning to wear on Van Haren. In a letter dated July 3, 1944, Van Haren simply wrote, “July 3, 1944: Hit Iwo Jima. What a fight! Darn lucky to be back. We lost Butler and O’Neal and Dobbins. I got three more Zekes. Details disgust me, besides I don’t feel like talking about it.” He continued to fly missions, earning a gold star for his Air Medal for protecting bombers his flight was escorting during a mission on September 12, 1944. The end of September, however, saw Van Haren Jr. and VF-2 rotated out of the Pacific and back to the U.S. mainland. Van Haren spent the rest of the war as a flight instructor at Glenview Naval Air Station before he was discharged in October 1945. 

Arthur Van Haren Jr. returned to Arizona with his family after the war, where he had a successful law career assisting numerous people of his community. Van Haren embodied many Americans who entered the war with no previous military experience, yet through training, skills, and bravery, performed above what could have been imagined. He was a critical component of his air unit and became a pillar of his community. Arthur Van Haren Jr. became one of the most decorated naval aviators to come from Arizona, and one of the most decorated Latino pilots of World War II.