Captain Ahlers was the pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 13th Bomber Squadron. On August 10, 1952, while on a night intruder mission, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire in its right main fuel tank. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on February 28, 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.