Tyler, George Edward
Air Force Colonel

George Edward Tyler, age 38, from Royal Oak, Michigan, Oakland county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: October 24, 1968

Death details: On October 24, 1968, an F-4D Phantom II (tail number 66-0264) with a crew of two took part in a three-plane nighttime armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. Enemy ground fire struck the plane as it passed over the target area, causing it to crash. The Phantom’s rear-seat pilot parachuted from the aircraft before it went down, and was retrieved by search and rescue (SAR) units. The aircraft commander was never seen to bail out of the plane, and is thought to have died in the crash.

Major George Edward Tyler, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Michigan, was a member of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. He was the aircraft commander aboard the F-4D when it went down. He was unable to bail out and was lost with the aircraft. He was not seen or heard from again following the incident, and attempts to locate his remains were unsuccessful. He was promoted to Colonel after his disappearance.  Today, Colonel Tyler is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency