Title: Louis Wayne Tyler Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1939-1951

Creator:

• Tyler, Louis Wayne

Call Number: WVM Mss 934

Quantity: 1.0 linear ft. (2 archives boxes, 1 flat box, and 4 oversized folders) of papers and 1 folder of photographs.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

The papers and photograph of Louis Wayne Tyler, a warrant officer (junior grade) with the U. S. Army who served in Panama and Brazil during World War II. A majority of the collection consists of the letters Tyler wrote to his mother during his military service, from basic training, to Panama and Brazil, through the end of the war. These letters, written by a highly educated and intelligent man, reflect his feelings about serving in the Army, particularly in Panama, and contain descriptions of lodgings, food, and local attractions. Tyler was not pleased to be drafted into the Army in 1941, but he grew more satisfied with the Army as he served. He wrote about his confusion upon the attack on Pearl Harbor and the sensitivity of soldiers in Panama about their service and the fact that they were not actively fighting enemy soldiers. Other papers in the collection include newspaper clippings, cut out by Tyler's mother, relating to Panama, Brazil, Janesville men and women in the service, and Tyler himself. Also included are some articles and a dedication program (1943) for the Janesville Shrine of Honor monument. Personal military papers, such as certificates and a separation record, provide details about his service. Ephemeral items include menus from holiday meals in the Army, a silver star service flag card that his mother could display, a “win the war” postage stamp, and a unique recruitment flyer for the Women's Army Corps. Pre-war letters from Tyler's father, Louis J., to his mother describe the medical treatment he sought at the hot springs in Excelsior Springs, Missouri for an illness. The one photograph, taken from an elevated position, shows an unidentified World War II-era target range, as well as buildings and fields along the horizon.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00934

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Louis Wayne Tyler was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on February 22 1914. Known to most by his middle name, he attended local schools and after spending two years at Beloit College, finished his undergraduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received a master's degree in English from the same institution in 1936 and taught at the University of Maryland for a short while before being drafted into the Army in September 1941. He received basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas and in January 1942 was shipped to Fort Clayton in Panama. He remained in Panama through April 1944 serving in an administrative capacity and rising to the rank of warrant officer (junior grade).

In May 1945 Tyler returned to the U.S. to attend Adjutant General's School at Camp Lee, Virginia. Upon graduating he traveled to Brazil in August to join the Joint Brazil United States Military Commission, with the purpose of training the Brazilian army and forming mutual defense plans. He returned to the U.S. in December 1945 and was discharged from the Army on March 7, 1946.

Following the war, Tyler pursued his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and taught English briefly at the University of Akron, Ohio as well as holding several private sector jobs. In 1961 he joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the Department of English and he remained there until his retirement in 1980. The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents granted him faculty emeritus status following his retirement. He remained in River Falls and passed away on September 9, 1995.

The papers of Louis Wayne Tyler are divided into 2 series: Papers and Photograph.

Papers (1939-1951) contain documents largely relating to Tyler's military service during World War II. Correspondence includes many letters that he wrote to his mother while training at Camp Wolters, Texas and serving in Panama and Brazil. These letters, written by a highly educated and intelligent man, reflect his feelings about serving in the Army and particularly in Panama. Tyler was not pleased to be drafted into the Army in September 1941, but he grew more satisfied with the Army as he served. He wrote about his confusion upon the attack on Pearl Harbor and his interest in reading scholarly works to find out why Japan would attack the United States. His letters are largely filled with descriptions of lodgings, food, and local attractions. Writing from Panama, he described how soldiers in the area were sensitive about their service and the fact that they were not actively fighting enemy soldiers. He also wrote about meeting Americans in Panama, eating and going out with them. Also included in the correspondence are letters from Tyler's father, Louis J., which describe his journey to Excelsior Springs, Missouri to receive treatment for an illness. These letters mention Tyler occasionally but mainly describe the treatments offered at a hot springs in the late 1930s. Other papers in the collection include newspaper clippings cut out by Tyler's mother. Articles relating to Panama, Brazil, Janesville men and women in the service, and Tyler himself reflect her interests during the war. Also found in the series are some articles and a dedication program (1943) for the Janesville Shrine of Honor monument. Personal military papers, such as certificates and a separation record, provide details about his service. Ephemeral items include menus from holiday meals in the Army, a silver star service flag card that his mother could display, a “win the war” postage stamp, and a unique recruitment flyer for the Women's Army Corps.

Photograph (circa 1941) consists of one photograph of an unnamed “target range.” The shot, taken from an elevated position, shows the target range, as well as buildings and fields along the horizon.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Marge Stokke, River Falls, WI, 2000. Accession Number: TR1135. This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).

Processing Information

Processed by Russell Horton in 2005.

	Series: Papers
Box   1 Folder   1	Biographical information, 1941-1945
Box   1 Folder   2	Communications, undated
Box   1 Folder   3	Expeditionary Force message form (blank), undated
Box   1 Folder   4	V-mail forms (blank), undated
	Subseries: Correspondence	⇧
Box   1 Folder   5-6	From Louis J. Tyler (father) to Nellie Tyler (mother), 1939-40
Box   1 Folder   7	From Louis Wayne Tyler, 1946
Box   1 Folder   8	To Susan Hammerquist (aunt), 1941
Box   1 Folder   9-17	To Nellie Tyler (mother), 1941-1946, 1951
Box   1 Folder   18	To E. A. Worden (family friend, step-father), 1941-1945
Box   1 Folder   19	To Louis Wayne Tyler from John Wellslager (student), 1941
Box   1 Folder   20	To Nellie Tyler (mother) from others, 1941-1942, 1945
Box   1 Folder   21	Good luck charm, undated
	Subseries: Janesville Shrine of Honor World War II monument	⇧
Box   1 Folder   22	Dedication program, 1943
Box   1 Folder   23	Newspaper clippings, 1943
Box   1 Folder   24	Mailing label from Panama, circa 1942
Box   3 Folder   1	Oversized, 1943
Box   1 Folder   25	Menus, 1941, 1943
	Subseries: Newspaper clippings	⇧
Box   2 Folder   1	Armed forces information, circa 1941
Ov   21 Folder   3	Army patches, undated
Box   2 Folder   2	Janesville men and women in the service, 1943, 1945
Ov   21 Folder   4	Oversized, 1942
Box   2 Folder   3	Latin America, 1943-1945
Box   2 Folder   4	Brazil, 1945
Box   2 Folder   5	Panama, 1943-1944
Box   3 Folder   2	Large, 1944
Ov   21 Folder   5	Oversized, 1940
Box   2 Folder   6	Tropical diseases, 1942
Box   3 Folder   3	Scrapbook, circa 1941-1945
Box   2 Folder   7	Louis Wayne Tyler, 1941-1948
Box   2 Folder   8	General Douglas Weart, 1943
Box   2 Folder   9	Dr. E. A. Worden, Air raid warden, undated
	Subseries: Personal military papers	⇧
	Certificates
Box   2 Folder   10	Appreciation for wartime service, 1945
Ov   18 Folder   7	Completion of officers administration course, 1945
Box   2 Folder   11	Draft notification card, 1941
Box   2 Folder   12	Notification of first duty station, 1941
Box   2 Folder   13	Separation record, 1946
Box   2 Folder   14	Silver star service flag window card, circa 1941
Box   2 Folder   15	Unidentified journal entries, undated
Box   2 Folder   16	War bond buyer rewards, 1944
Box   2 Folder   17	“Win the war” postage stamp, undated
Box   2 Folder   18	Women's Army Corps (W.A.C.) recruiting flyer, undated
	Series: Photographs	⇧
Ph   20 Folder   27	Target range [1] , circa 1941