Theodore “Ted” Tanner
As the nation neared the long anticipated end to the great depression, one of the largest economical crises in American history, Americans nationwide began preparation to engage in one of the most historical military conflicts of all time, World War II. Despite America's attempt to remain neutral in regards to the war in Europe, the bombing of American Naval Base Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese military forces prompted immediate military response from the American government. Numerous social and economical changes were made in order to provide for the war effort that was now inevitably a reality. The country began to formulate a plan of action in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, instituting the first national draft in order to accumulate a fighting force capable of carrying out an attack. Although many were conscripted into the army, there were numerous young, patriotic men who eagerly awaited the opportunity to defend their country; one of these men who eagerly answered the call for war was Theodore Tanner.
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Tanner, also known as Ted Tanner, was born in Portland, Oregon on December 24, 1920. Ted's father was a Greek immigrant who owned and ran a restaurant and his mother was a dentist of Scottish and Irish descent. From a young age, Ted had a passion for building. Whether it be a toy skateboard or the building up of his own car, Ted always managed to keep himself occupied with something to build. Ted attended Benson Polytechnic High School, an all boys school, from the years 1936 through 1940. When he entered into high school, his passion for building remained with him as he always found something new to work on and build, always taking an interest in classes such as wood shop, machine shop, or any class that involved building. Ted believed any job that involved craftsmanship or building would be a suitable career choice following his time in high school. After graduating from high school in 1940, a young Theodore Tanner was ready to begin his life as a young man, however, one of the most historic days of American history would give direction to the future for young Theodore Tanner. Soon after his graduation, on December 7, 1941, the attacking of Pearl Harbor also known as “ the day of infamy,” took place, shocking the people of America worldwide. In response to the news of the attack, twenty one year old Theodore Tanner was extremely excited at the opportunity to enlist in the military in order to defend his country. When asked why he had chosen to pursue a career in the military, Lieutenant Tanner replied, “ To protect my home. To protect my family. To protect my way of life.” A young man at the time, Theodore was able to make the selfless decision to defend the nation with his life, a decision that would dictate his future for the rest of time to come.
Spurred by a passion in response to recent events at Pearl Harbor, Theodore Tanner attempted to enlist in the navy but soon after decided he desired nothing else but to become an Air Force pilot. Once enlisting into the Air Force, Theodore spent a year building ships while he awaited his orders to begin his training. These orders came in 1942 when Theodore was sent to Tennessee to begin training and to learn how to be a component of the military. Theodore expressed that he was required to leave behind everything he knew: his car, girlfriend, tools, home, virtually everything about his old life stayed behind in Oregon. After training here for a month, his next destination for training was a primary flight training facility in Arkansas. For the next three months spent in Arkansas, Theodore learned the many skills and aspects that contributed to the process of becoming a skilled pilot in the United States Air Force. One of the training exercises that Theodore was required to undergo was memorizing the cockpit, being blindfolded, and then being instructed to rely on his memory to identify the numerous components of the cockpit. Following his intensive training in Arkansas, Theodore was then stationed in Selma, Alabama where he would earn his wings and graduate from Cadet to officer. During his time in Selma, Theodore observed many things involving segregation and different social regularities that were extremely different to the life he had known in Oregon. His final training exercises took place in Sarasota, Florida where Theodore practiced all of the skills he had developed over the past year in order to prepare for combat. When describing what it felt like to be part of the military, Lieutenant Tanner described the sensation as, “ a wonderful feeling knowing that [he] was good enough to be part of the army.” Throughout the duration of his training, Theodore had developed a preference to flying single pilot, P-40 fighter planes as opposed to any bomber planes as he wanted the responsibility of piloting his own plane. However, when asked if he would like to join a group of A-20 dive bomber pilots, Theodore accepted. When two other pilots contracted diseases, Theodore was then introduced into the select group of pilots and was soon after sent off to take part in the battle like he had excitedly anticipated for so long.
Now ready for his opportunity to engage in combat, Theodore and his company of pilots set off on a cruise liner out of San Francisco for Australia. When the ship arrived in Brisbane, Australia, Theodore described the importance of avoiding Malaria by means of bug screens or medicine as it was an extremely prevalent and dangerous disease in that area during that time. Once in Australia, Theodore and his company were stationed in New Guinea with instructions to destroy any Japanese assets or threats that were reported in the region. In his six missions piloting the P-40 Fighters, Theodore encountered no signs of the enemy and was able to complete these missions without engaging in any combat. Lieutenant Tanner described the missions as, “ duck hunting without the ducks.” Following his missions in the cockpit of the P-40 fighter, Theodore then engaged in numerous missions in A-20 bomber planes. By the end of his career, lieutenant Tanner had completed seventy-two missions total. Theodore did not have any ritual regarding any of his missions although he said that in order to deal with the stress of flying, many pilots were presented a shot of whiskey following their missions to calm their nerves. On his first A-20 mission, Theodore described one of his most vivid memories in which his squadron of bombers was in route to a Japanese base in New Guinea. When over the base, Theodore recalls watching a Texas native pilot, Lieutenant Templeton's plane be shot down and explode on impact. This is one of the many significant events that occurred during Lieutenant Tanner's service in New Guinea. While in the A-20, Theodore began to engage in photography from the air, providing a perspective that had not yet been available to the public. In addition to his service as a pilot while apart of the A-20 386th squadron, Theodore once again utilized his craftsmanship skills to further serve his country. Using his skills associated with building, Theodore was able to successfully invent a mount suited to the A-20 that allowed for a camera to easily take pictures during aerial missions. The Air Force would later copy his designs and would begin to use these mounts all throughout the Air Force in an attempt to capture the events that took place and display them to the American public. These photographs were also used to promote and sell war bonds, furthering the support for the war effort. One of the most historic photos from the Pacific Air War was due to the photography skills of Theodore as he was able to capture a plane getting shot down over the water. This photograph was featured in numerous books that described the war in the sky that took place during World War II. When not out on a mission, Lieutenant Tanner describes life in the base camps and the numerous aspects of these small communities during the war. While passing the time in base camp, activities such as hiking, boxing, playing volleyball, or even watching an outdoor film were common occurrences. Although popular with most pilots, not Theodore, drinking was a large part of daily life outside of combat. Theodore described the meals served in base camp to be very basic and usually consisted of beef,spam, and beans. The living conditions within his base camp also presented numerous problems. The tents they occupied were erected directly on the ground, which would turn to mud in the rain. In order to solve this problem, Theodore would barter whiskey or food for lumber to floor the tents and keep themselves and their belongings out of the mud. This is the way of life and the type of events Lieutenant Tanner became accustomed to during his service in the war. Following his service in New Guinea, Theodore was honored with numerous awards and medals for his service in the war. Lieutenant Tanner was presented with the distinguished flier cross, a medal for unique actions while in the air, the bronze star for his camera mount designs, and was awarded a medal for his service in the South Pacific. When his time in the service came to an end , Theodore was offered the opportunity to continue his career piloting new B-32 bombers but he decided to return to America and continue his life at home on inactive duty for the next 24 years. At the end of his service, Theodore had served for three years overseas and returned to America in 1946.
Once back in the United States, Theodore began a family and a new life. When he returned in 1946, he returned a , “United States changed for the better.” The public always showed immense amounts of support for veterans who had returned home, always being very receptive of them and showing appreciation for their service. He married his wife, Peggy, and had four children with her: Philip, Jeffery, Ruth, and Alice. Unfortunately, Peggy developed a case of Schizophrenia and passed it on to two of their children. Although many pilots out of the service became commercial pilots for independent airlines, Theodore decided that it would be better to stay home and raise his family. When asked what the his experience in the war had done for him, Theodore responded saying, “It was overall an extremely great experience for [him].” Today, Lieutenant Tanner resides in Costa Mesa, California and serves as an example of the dedication, honor, discipline, and selflessness that veterans around the country represent. His story will always serve as a reminder that the freedom we enjoy everyday is not free and is only a reality due to the sacrifice made by veterans as honorable and patriotic as Lieutenant Theodore Tanner.