<p><em>Corry Paul Tyler</em> was born on December 12, 1977 in Atlanta, GA. He was raised in Woodbine, GA by his father, Terry, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources employee, and his mother, Jennifer, a nurse. Throughout his childhood, Corry loved the outdoors and would spend his days with his many close friends, hunting and fishing. He spent his school days at the top of his class, playing baseball and football, and dreaming of West Point. In 1995, Corry graduated from Camden County High School and headed for his Rockbound Highland Home.</p>
<p>At West Point, Corry was known for his slow smile and his quick wit. After Beast Barracks he was assigned to Company E-2, “Go Dawgs!” According to his roommate Mike Bovan, Corry was brilliant, stoic, and grounded in his faith. “I don’t think I could have passed French without him. He was very patient helping me learn. Often we’d talk in French for weeks before an exam to help me out,” Mike recalled. </p>
<p>After his yearling year, Corry scrambled to Company H-2, “Happy as Hell!” According to his roommate and fellow civil engineering major Drew Sherrill, Corry stood out for his academic achievements and intelligence. Corry was very active in the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) at school and continued his love of deer hunting. He even found a creative way to give his plebes some additional instruction during his favorite pastime. “Corry and I would grab two or three plebes who were not busy on the weekend and ask them to help us drive the deer from one location to another. We would get the plebes to chase the deer out of the illegal hunting areas and shoot at them along the river below the cemetery and the old PX. We were in awe of Corry killing a deer on the run with a bow,” Drew said. </p>
<p>During Corry’s cow year, he met the love of his life, Kathy. His southern charm instantly won over her northern spirit, and the two fell head over heels for each other on their very first date, a picnic at Bear Mountain. Two years later, he proposed at the very same spot, and her answer was a resounding yes.</p>
<p>Corry graduated West Point in 1999 and branched Army Aviation. After flight school, he headed to his first duty station at Fort Carson, CO, where he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Corry and Kathy married in July 2001 on St. Simon’s Island, GA, surrounded by many West Point classmates and friends from high school.</p>
<p>Corry deployed to Iraq for the first time in April 2003. During his deployment, the first of his three children was born, a daughter, Emily. Corry, a quintessential family man, listened to her first cries through the Red Cross phone he cradled to his ear at a tent in Iraq, and he was overcome with love for a tiny blond, blue-eyed girl that he would meet upon his mid-tour leave. Upon his return, Corry developed a passion for triathlons and began competing all over Colorado.</p>
<p>In 2004, Corry left Fort Carson to attend the Aviation Captain’s Career Course at Fort Rucker, AL. While there, in January 2005, his second child and first son, Jacob, was born. Corry joked that while it was an incredible experience to finally be present for the birth of one of his children, it was “a lot more work.” After graduating, he and his family moved to Fort Lewis, WA, where he was assigned to Troop D, 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry. Corry continued to compete in triathlons and while at Fort Lewis, he began to focus on his next goal, becoming a doctor. Corry’s father had suffered health issues and passed away in 2006. Determined to help others, Corry began to take pre-med classes at night and fit his studies in whenever he could. In 2006, Corry deployed to Iraq for a second time. He was due back in October of that year, the same month his third child was about to be born. As if he knew that his Daddy needed to be there, Corry’s third child, Lucas, made his debut just a mere three days after Corry had returned.</p>
<p>In June of 2007, Corry left for his third deployment to Iraq with his usual grit and determination to do his job and get back to his family as soon as possible. On August 22nd, Corry, his three-man flight crew, and 10 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division died of injuries suffered when his UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a rescue mission in Multaka, Iraq. </p>
<p>During Corry’s memorial service, hundreds upon hundreds filled the church pews and lined the streets to pay their final respects. His wife, children, family, friends, former classmates, and fellow Army servicemembers came from far and wide and wept at such a profound loss. Though in the true spirit of his memory, all of us shared in a healing laugh at the irony when not one but two of his ex-girlfriends from high school fondly eulogized him.</p>
<p>Corry was an exceptional son, husband, father, friend, citizen, and leader who will never be forgotten. He was laid to rest next to his father in College Park, GA, and his name is also etched on a headstone in Arlington National Cemetery, along with the 13 others who lost their lives with him in Iraq. Satilla River Waterfront Park in his hometown of Woodbine has been dedicated to Corry by the City Council, and the exit to Woodbine off I-95 is to be renamed the Army Captain Corry Paul Tyler Memorial Interchange in the near future. </p>
<p>“With Duty in Mind.”</p>
<p><em>— Christine Payne ’99 (Dukes) </em></p>