First Lieutenant Tanner was the co-pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 8th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group. On 13 January 1953, while on a night intruder mission, contact with his aircraft was lost. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 14 January 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, First Lieutenant Tanner was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.