JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In 1967, Robert Tyner worked at the Winn Dixie Warehouse before he was drafted into the Army and sent across the world to fight in the Vietnam War.
Just a few months later, when he was 20 years old, the Jacksonville native was injured during a conflict and was being evacuated by a helicopter when the helicopter crashed, carrying a five-member crew and six passengers.
The remains of U.S. Army Pfc. Robert E. Tyner, 20, of Jacksonville, Florida, killed during the Vietnam War, will be interred Aug. 28, at Riverside Memorial Cemetery in his hometown. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Three months later, a U.S. Marine Corps Search and Rescue team found the crash site, but it couldn’t determine the identities of the recovered remains.
The recovered remains were interred in a group burial on Sept. 10, 1968, at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.
The remains of U.S. Army Pfc. Robert E. Tyner, 20, of Jacksonville, Florida, killed during the Vietnam War, will be interred Aug. 28, at Riverside Memorial Cemetery in his hometown. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Then, this year, thanks to new developments in DNA testing, some remains were able to be positively identified as those of Tyner, bringing some closure for the family after 58 years.
Tyner’s remains were flown to Jacksonville and on Friday, he will receive a memorial service with full military honors. PFC Tyner was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for heroic actions displayed in combat.
The remains of U.S. Army Pfc. Robert E. Tyner, 20, of Jacksonville, Florida, killed during the Vietnam War, will be interred Aug. 28, at Riverside Memorial Cemetery in his hometown. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
He will be laid to rest at Riverside Memorial Park next to his mother and father.
Instead of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation or the Wounded Warrior Project.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.