Robert William Tanner
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USAF Chief Warrant Officer, Retired, Robert (Bob) William Tanner, was born in Fairfield, New York on December 5, 1921. He lived in Cedar Hill, TX. Bob passed at the age of 99 on December 23, 2020. He is survived by his beloved wife of 68 years Ephthalia (Gigi)Dudi Tanner, a daughter, Dorothy Hulsey, and a son, Robert Tanner Jr. A daughter, Christy Craig, predeceased him in 2009. Bob and Gigi are the proud grandparents of 6 grandchildren and 5 greatgrandchildren.
In 1938, at 17 years old, Bob enlisted in the Army, and reported to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. As an experienced novice pilot trained by private aircraft owners near Utica, New York, Tanner was given flight status and joined the US Army Air Corps. He was immediately shipped to Hickam Airfield, Honolulu, Hawaii. At Hickam, Tanner served with the 65th Service Squadron, Signal Corps, attached to the 17th Air Base Headquarters and the 22nd and 23rd mat?riel squadrons and flew B-18 Bolo bombers in support of the Hawaiian Air Force. His 1st bombing mission was the bombing of the Mount Loa Volcano lava flow in April of 1940 to prevent the lava from destroying the city of Hilo, Hawaii.
After surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor (and Hickam Field), then Tech Sgt. Tanner received an appointment to be a Flight Officer (also known as "Flying Sergeants") with the 7th, 10th and 11th Air Forces under the 549th Composite Squadron headquartered out of Brisbane, Australia. He flew 254 pathfinder and bombing missions out of Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea from 1942 until 1943. While the 549th waited to receive their B-17Cs from Brisbane, Tanner flew C-46 "Commando" Air Transports from Assam (Chabua), India, over the Himalayas (The Hump) to bring fuel and supplies to the "Flying Tigers" base in Chun Ming, China. Flight Officer Tanner was shot down three times in B-17C's and B-17D's with his final combat flight in September 1943. He was wounded after a crash landing in the Solomon Seas of the Pacific Ocean and south of Lae, Papua, New Guinea. He and his crew were returned to Oahu, Hawaii and spent 7-months in the Fort Shafter hospital and stayed at Hickam Airfield until the end of the War in the Pacific.
Mr. Tanner is a three-war decorated Veteran. WWII, the Korean War, (in which he was involved in "The Fight for Seoul", Korea); and the Vietnam War. He also served in the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) 3920th Strategic Wing at Brize-Norton AFB, England, and during the "Bay of Pigs".
In 1966, after 27 years of service, he retired from the USAF 4392nd Transportation Squadron under the 30th Space Wing, and 4392nd Aerospace Support Group, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. Mr. Tanner then served 21 years with the Department of Defense, including two tours during the last years of the Vietnam Conflict. He moved to Cedar Hill, Texas and retired from the Army & Air Force Exchange Service Headquarters in 1987.
Bob Tanner loved and served his country his entire life. In a ceremony sponsored by AAFES, he was presented a bronze Congressional Medal commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Tanner served a term as president of the Texas Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. Having direct ancestors fight in the American Revolutionary War, Tanner was a member and was honored by the Sons of the American Revolution; receiving a War Service Medal from the Dallas Chapter. The Commemorative Air Force showcased Tanner at the 2017 Wings Over Dallas WWII Airshow. During the October 2018 Show, the CAF honored him with a Great Generation Award.
The family of Bob Tanner admires and give thanks to the health care workers of Charlton Methodist Hospital and Harbor Hospice. Grateful thanks to the doctors that helped keep our hero with us-Dr. Michael Olatunji, Dr. Ashwani Agarwal, Dr. Roberto Wayhs, and Dr. Allan C. Van Horn.
A private military funeral with honors will be conducted at the DFW Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. on January 6, 2021.