Aaron Warner Tyer was born in Natchez, Mississippi, December 24, 1911. After graduation from high school at Natchez and from Marion Institute in Alabama he entered the U.S. Military Academy. He was graduated and commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry, June 12, 1935.
General Tyer then attended primary and advanced flying schools at Randolph and Kelly Fields in Texas, and on October 1, 1936, was rated a pilot and transferred to the Air Corps. His first assignment was at March Field, California.
In March, 1940, General Tyer joined the 31st Bomb Squadron in Hawaii, and in December, 1940, assumed command of the 45th Fighter Squadron there. Soon after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he was given command of the 18th Fighter Group. From March to December, 1943, he was on the staff of Commander, Air, Solomon Islands, and organized night fighter defense for the Solomons.
General Tyer was then in command of the San Francisco (California) Wing until April, 1944, when he became commander of the Combat Crew Training School at Chico, California.
From January to April, 1946, General Tyer served in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Personnel at AAF headquarters, Washington, D.C. He then became assistant personnel officer at the Air University, Maxwell Field, Alabama. He entered the Armed Forces Staff College in January, 1947, graduated the following June and resumed his position as assistant personnel officer at the Air University. In August, 1947, he was named assistant chief of staff for personnel. Two years later, he entered the Air War College, and was graduated in July, 1950.
General Tyer then was transferred to Korea for duty with the Fifth Air Force, and in August, 1950, assumed command of the 6149th Tactical Support Wing there. He was named commander of the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing in Korea in December, 1950, and the following November became vice commander of the 314th Air Division, with headquarters at Nagoya, Japan. Upon the inactivation of the 314th Air Division in February, 1952, he was designated vice commander of the Japan Air Defense Force.
General Tyer died on May 28, 1952, when his F-94 Starfire jet fighter crashed soon after taking off from Komachi Air Base, Japan.
He was rated a Command Pilot.
PROMOTIONS
Private, Howitzer Company, 155th Infantry, Mississippi National Guard, December 24, 1929, to June 11, 1931; Cadet, U.S. Military Academy, July 1, 1931; Second Lieutenant, Infantry, June 12, 1935; transferred to Air Corps, October 1, 1936; First Lieutenant, June 12, 1938; Captain, A.U.S., September 9, 1940; Major (temporary), November 15, 1941; Lieutenant Colonel, A.U.S (Air Corps), March 1, 1942; Major, A.U.S., November 20, 1942; Lieutenant Colonel, A.U.S., March 4, 1943; Colonel, A.U.S. (Air Corps), July 19, 1943; Colonel, A.U.S., August 1, 1944; Captain, June 12, 1945; Lieutenant Colonel, July 1, 1948; Colonel, October 19, 1949; Brigadier General (temporary), October 9, 1951, with date of rank from October 3, 1951.
DECORATIONS
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1952 with the following citation (excerpt):
“Brigadier General (then colonel) Aaron W. Tyer, 1123A, United States Air Force, distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a position of great responsibility from 6 August 1950 to 15 August 1951. As Commanding Officer, 6149th Tactical Support Wing, General Tyer influenced to a marked degree the effectiveness of tactical air operations in the Korean hostilities. He assumed command at Taegu, Korea, during the critical period marked by the advance of the enemy to the Naktong River. With the majority of his command evacuated, General Tyer remained at Taegu airstrip, operating refueling and rearming facilities for over 200 aircraft daily, despite the advance of the enemy to within four miles of the airfield. Additional fighter sorties, provided from Taegu, had a definite influence on the ability of the United Nations forces to repel enemy attacks on the Pusan perimeter.”
General Tyer was also awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.