Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:46 | Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, John Tyler enlisted in Aviation Cadet Training in February of 1943. He had his basic training at Keesler Air Force Base, then went to San Antonio, Texas and Pine Bluff, Arkansas to continue his flight training. He reveals the first types of planes that he flew during his training.
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Tyler remembers a few accidents during training. After he graduated he went Columbia, South Carolina for B-25 Combat Training. After completing that he was stationed at New Guinea for a while and then on the Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines. He describes his very first missions overseas.
During one of his missions, Tyler remembers one of the men in another plane that was flying on his right wing being hit by something and sadly not making it out alive. As the war progressed, he was sent to Okinawa and even flew two missions to aid in the Australian invasion of Borneo.
Tyler talks about his process before and after missions. He was in Manila in the Philippines when WWII ended. After that, he did what he could to occupy his time before being sent back home, including flying over Japan to see the immense damage from the atomic bomb. After he came home in January 1946, he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. He also talks about his relationship with another military man, Ed Addison.
