Kermit Arthur Tyler (April 13, 1913 – January 23, 2010) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

officer. Tyler was assigned as a pilot in the 78th Pursuit Squadron at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

on December 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Biography

Tyler was born on April 13, 1913, in

Oelwein, Iowa Oelwein is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,920 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, a decrease of 11.5% from the 2000 census. The largest community in Fayette County, ...

. He moved with his family to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, and joined the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

for two years before becoming an Army Air Corps flying cadet in 1936.

Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, Tyler was a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the Army Air Corps serving as the

Executive Officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of the 78th Pursuit Squadron, based at

. That morning he was assigned duty as the

Officer In Charge Officer in Charge (usually "OIC") is a very widely used term which may refer to: * Duty officer * Officer in Charge (Philippines), interim position in the context of Philippine governance. See also * Officer Commanding ("OC") * Commanding officer ( ...

of the partly activated Pearl Harbor Intercept Center. His duties were to assist the controller in ordering American planes to intercept unknown aircraft approaching Pearl Harbor. Tyler, new and untrained, was warned by Private Joseph P. McDonald of the approach of a large flight of aircraft from the north. He presumed it to be the scheduled arrival of six

B-17 bombers The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

from the mainland. In fact, the radar operators were tracking

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese planes coming to attack the base. However the operator, working in training mode, failed to make clear the size of the formation even though it was larger than anything they had ever seen, and he did not pass on an alarm of "attack imminent”. Following an investigation by a

Naval Board of Inquiry Naval Board of Inquiry and Naval Court of Inquiry are two types of investigative court proceedings, conducted by the United States Navy in response to an event that adversely affects the performance, or reputation, of the fleet or one of its shi ...

in August 1942, it was determined that Tyler had been assigned to the Information Center with little or no training, no supervision, and no staff with which to work. Tyler was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the Board, and no disciplinary actions were taken against him.

Later life

Tyler retired as a lieutenant colonel in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

in 1961. After leaving military service, he obtained a business degree and worked as a

real estate broker Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

. He died in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

on January 23, 2010, at the age of 96.

References

External links

''Columbus Dispatch'' obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyler, Kermit 1913 births 2010 deaths United States Air Force colonels Attack on Pearl Harbor Military personnel from San Diego People from Long Beach, California United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Civilian Conservation Corps people People from Oelwein, Iowa Recipients of the Legion of Merit Deaths from pneumonia in California Military personnel from Iowa