Dec. 05--A civilian aircraft mechanic from Belleville has died in a mortar attack while working in Afghanistan, according to his brother and an obituary from a local funeral home.
Albert H. Haas, 64, was killed by a rocket blast about midnight Nov. 29 while working at Bagram Air Force Base, said his brother Ken Haas, 59, of Belleville. Albert Haas had been working for AAR Airlift Group Inc. The rocket exploded in the barracks where Albert Haas was sleeping, killing him and a female coworker in another room, Ken Haas said. Several others were wounded in the explosion.
Chris Mason, a spokesman for AAR Lift's parent company, would not comment on the incident "out of respect to the families involved." No one from the Department of Defense could be reached Thursday.
Albert Haas was born in St. Louis and was the second oldest of five sons. He attended Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville and served in the Army in Vietnam, where he met his wife of 41 years, Bay Thi. They returned to live in Belleville and had a son and two daughters.
He worked as a military contractor specializing in helicopter maintenance and served as an Army Reservist. He was called back to duty in Bosnia and retired from the military with honors after 30 years of service. He worked as a civilian for 30 years for commercial airlines.
Ken Haas said his brother had worked for AAR Lift for three years, loved his job and was familiar with the dangers of working in Afghanistan, including routine rocket blasts in the region.
"He lived life to the fullest and enjoyed every moment," his brother said. "He never worried about the end (of life). He said he knew the end could come at any minute."
Ken Haas said he is frustrated with AAR Airlift Group for what he said is poor communication with relatives and the public about what happened.
"All they're saying is, 'it's under investigation,'" Ken Haas said. "There's nothing on the news about this attack. When civilians get killed in a war zone like this, usually you get news about it. This time, nothing."
Ken Haas said his brother loved working on home improvement projects and was a good roofer. He also loved restoring old cars and owned a Ford Model T and Model A. One of his traditions was ringing in the new year by waking relatives at midnight for shots of Wild Turkey 101-proof bourbon.
"We'll keep up the tradition in his honor," Ken Haas said.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today at George Renner & Sons Funeral Home in Belleville. Funeral services will be held at 9 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with burial to follow at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
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