Biosketch
of E. Tyler T.
Tyler is
one of the most active persons in the Tulsa Group. At reunions, he is one of the first to give
of his time and enegy to make the
get-togethers so successful. We
want to talk about Tyler, his life, his interests, and what really makes this
guy tick.....First, you may remember that he was the President of the Rifle
Club at Will Rogers H. S. In fact, that
has really defined his life as we learn more about him.
After
graduation he worked for a local firm during the summer. Soon after, he enrolled at Texas A. and
M and spent the first semester there and
was called into the service in December of l942. Tyler said, " I was sent to "Jap
Trap" which was the south end of Camp Maxey near Paris, Texas. The camp was built to house Japanese
prisioners of war, but was used to train fresh inductees." It was a camp that had all of the less
desirable attributes...4 holers, high barbed wire fences, prefab boxes intended
for barracks, and, of course, obstacle courses and long marches in miserable,
hot conditions. He said he lucked out,
he went into an ASTP group at Texas College of A & I. (Now Texas A &M)
at Kingsville, Texas. After 6 months of enrollment in engineering courses he was shipped out to
the 103 Inf. Division. Thus begans his
long and interesting story of WW11 in Europe.
Initally
assigned as a rifleman in the l03 Infantry Division he was later assigned to a
seven man crew that received specialized training in observation and
patrolling. " I shipped overseas in
October of l944. We landed in Marseilles, France." They reached the front lines by truck
through river valleys, and they had
their first combat in the Vosges Mountains with their first objective being St.
Die. "We pushed the Krauts through
small mountain areas, forested areas, quaint villages,etc" By mid-December they had crossed into
Germany. When they got to the Siegfied
Line they met stiff resistance in the steep slopes, thick growth of coniferous
trees, and a few pillboxes. "A
fragment from an 80mm shell burst hit me.
I was evacuated through a series of field hospitals to the 50th General
Hospital at Commercy in France."
Tyler was
back in action from his wounds in late January of 1945 just as the Battle of
the Bulge had reached its conclution. He
was appalled to find that his group had been pushed back some 25 kilometers
from where they had been when he was wounded.
" We gained Major General "Nuts" McAuliffe as our new
division commander. He lead us well back
through the Siegfried Line. We crossed the Rhine River and took some circuitous
routes through Bavaria and wound up in Innsbruck, Austria. There we were able to enjoy VE-Day."
Occupation proved boring so he was given an opportunity of attending
architectural
studies in Paris. By February of l946 he was aboard a ship heading for
home. He arrived in New York City and
was soon on a troop train to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas and was discharged from the
Army on March 5, l946.
Tyler
went back to Okahoma A & M College and continued his studies in
architecture. He graduated in May of
l950. During the time at A & M he
was interested in resuming his interest in shooting. Two rifle clubs were available at the
College. He chose the ROTC program which
allowed him to continue his military experience. He was commissioned in May of l949. Since that time he has continued in the
Reserve and retired as a Colonel in l980.
"I
married Wanda in June of l950. I worked
for my father for about 5 years. I
subsequently worked with various architects." After gaining his licensure in l961 he continued
working with Tulsa architects full time.
"I retired in l986. And I worked part-time until l999." Sadly, Wanda died in l999. Tyler and Wanda had two daughters and three
remarkable grandchildren.
He and
Wanda were in all states but six, traveled twice overseas to England, France,
Switzerland and Italy, and enjoyed excursions around the State of
Oklahoma. "Now, I work-out at the
health club 5 days a week. Enjoy reading
the paper thoroughly, and working crossword puzzles. Occasionally go out with a
lady I met at OSU (before Wanda). Go to church and sometimes do volunteer
work. Still mow my own lawn."
His
military experience has garnered him over nine medals and awards for his duty
during WWll including the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Award. He is a member of the Disabled Veterans of
America, Reserve Officers Association, American Veterans, and Veterans of
Foreign Wars. Tyler's interest back in 1942 in the Rifle Club certainly was the
forerunner of what became his life of military service. We salute his dedication and his love of
country.......