Captain Tyler was the pilot of a F-51D Mustang night fighter with the 12th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Wing. On 25 May 1951, while on a combat mission of strafing enemy positions, he crashed into a ridge and burst into flames.

Tyler was awarded 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.