1970: After the death of her mother, Helen Martin, Tara Martin moved to Pine Valley with her family to be close to her grandmother, Kate Martin. In her senior year of high school, she had fallen in love with Phil Brent. The two made a perfect couple, and talked about getting married. But, Erica Kane had her eyes set on Phil as well. Tara became the object of her teasing and ploys. Phil convinced Tara that she had nothing to be worried about, but to calm her fears, he promised to stop running to Erica’s rescue.
Tara and Phil’s love hit an early snag when it was revealed that Phil’s parents were not really his parents at all. He was actually the son of Nick Davis and his aunt, Amy Tyler. After graduation, Phil decided to leave Pine Valley. Tara wanted to go with him, but he needed time alone. Phil broke off their engagement. Devastated, Tara found a listening ear in Chuck Tyler, Phil’s best friend. Though Tara saw Chuck only as a friend, it was obvious that he wanted more.
Phil returned to Pine Valley an amnesiac. Tara realized not only did he not know her, Phil no longer loved her. Tara was further hurt to learn that Erica had clawed her way into her brother, Dr. Jeff Martin’s life. Tara tried to warn her brother about Erica, but he was in love.

1971: Tara grew closer to Chuck, though her heart remained with Phil. When it looked like all hopes at reconciliation were lost, Tara agreed to marry Chuck. Phoebe Tyler volunteered to throw them a lavish wedding, one that Tara could never dream of. Tara turned to Kate with her apprehensions. Though she loved Phil, he did not remember or love her.
One the day of the wedding, Nick revealed that Phil was still in love with Tara. Before she could say anything, Chuck and Nick got in an altercation. Chuck suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. There, Joe diagnosed him with kidney failure. Tara kept vigil over Chuck, with Phil by her side. There shared concern for Chuck brought them together again.
Joe told Tara it was her love that brought Chuck back from near death. Wrecked with guilt, Tara rejected Phil to be with the man who had always been there for her. But things were about to change when Phil learned that he had been drafted to go to Vietnam.

1972: Tara wanted Chuck to be healthy as much as she wanted to be with Phil. Chuck pressured Tara to set a new wedding day. Tara used Chuck’s hospitalization as a excuse to postpone setting a date. Secretly, she was seeing Phil and had not intentions on marrying Chuck.
Phil proposed to Tara the night before he was to be deployed. They were stranded in a snowstorm while looking for a Justice of the Peace. At an isolated chapel, Phil and Tara recited their secret wedding vows to each other. In Tara’s eyes, she and Phil were married. They made love for the first time that night. Tara promised to wait for Phil to return from Vietnam.
A few weeks later, Chuck was released from the hospital. Tara wanted to break the news to him about Phil, when Ruth came in with a devastating report from Vietnam: Phil was dead. Chuck comforted Tara, but even he could not grasp the severity of the situation. Her wedding night had left her pregnant with Phil’s son.
Tara decided to tell Chuck the truth. Chuck decided that he was going to help Tara raise her son as his own. They eloped and came out to Pine Valley as a couple. The only other person Tara would tell the truth to was Ruth. Ruth and Tara could gazed into Phillip Charles Tyler’s eyes and see his father looking back.

1973-74: Chuck was Tara’s best friend. Tara was now happily married to a future physician in a beautiful estate. She was living the American Dream. This was all about to change when Pine Valley got word that Phil was found alive in Vietnam. Tara was now torn between her husband Chuck, and the man she considered the husband in her heart, Phil.

1975: Tara and Chuck’s greatest fear was realized when Phillip was taken to the hospital. He needed a transfusion, and no one matched. Tara and Chuck knew only Phil could save his son. Tara was able to manipulate Phil into giving a donation.
Phil was married to Erica. Already Tara tried her best to dissuade him. After all, she had ruined her brother’s life for the last two years. One night, Phil stormed into the Tyler Estate. Ruth had admitted to him that Phillip was his son. Tara admitted to her lies. Phil understood why she felt she needed to lie to everyone when she thought he was dead. Phil wondered if Tara still loved him. Tara could not lie about her feelings anymore. As happy as she was with Chuck, she had always only loved Phil.
Tara went to Chuck to ask for a divorce when he collapsed. His kidney ailment had returned. Seeing little Phillip worried about the man who he thought was his father was enough for Tara to change her mind. Chuck knew something had changed. Without Tara even asking, Chuck filed to dissolve their marriage.

1976: Though Tara had divorced Chuck, Phil’s marriage to Erica seemed harder to break. Phillip began to act up, having psychosomatic asthma attacks. Tara worried about her son. Joe referred her to a special clinic in Arizona. She left with her son, hoping he would recover.
Tara rushed home when she got news Chuck lay near death after being attacked by a pimp. Tara saw how much Phillip still loved Chuck. Tara and Phil decided it was best to keep the truth from Phillip. They could not risk another asthma attack.
That Christmas, Tara and Phil married finally married in front of their families. Phillip was nowhere to be found. He ran away to be with Chuck.

1977: Tara and Phil rushed back from their honeymoon when she got word that Phillip was involved in an accident with a drunken Phoebe. Tara wanted to tend to her child, but she had to deal with Phil’s insistence to cut the Tyler’s out of Phillip’s life.
Tara found out she was pregnant with Phil’s child. Tara wanted Phil to quit the police force for good. Her greatest fear was realized when Phil was shot on the job. Hovering near death, the situation put a lot of stress on Tara. She turned to Chuck for support. Phil even asked Chuck to marry Tara if he did not recover.
Phil recovered, but was anxious to get back on the beat. Tara was lucky to have Chuck to look after Phillip while she went through a difficult pregnancy. One day, Phoebe stormed in demanding that Tara take Phillip back from Chuck. Chuck was set to marry Donna Beck, a prostitute. Tara told Phoebe Chuck’s love life was none of her business. Phoebe was incessant. Her argument was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Tara collapsed. She faded in and out of consciousness. When she awoke, Phil told her she miscarried. He also told her that she called out for Chuck and not him. Phil demanded that Phillip be taken out of the Tyler home. If not, he was ready to tell Phillip the truth.

1978: Phil’s rage over his mother’s rape left Tara on edge. Phillip changed his name to Charlie in honor of Chuck. Tara found herself turning to Chuck more with Charlie’s issues. When Charlie was found vandalizing cars in the hospital parking lot, Phil told Tara he had to face the legal consequences. Tara wanted to help Charlie on her own. She offered Phil a ultimatum: if he turned Charlie in, their marriage was over. Phil took Charlie to the police department, and moved out.
Tara turned to Chuck. Even though he was married to Donna who had her own share of problems, Tara needed Chuck to be there for her. In light of the crumbling marriages, they began a secret affair. Phil recognized the signs, and told Tara she was better off with Chuck anyways. But, when Donna revealed she was pregnant, Tara knew she had to leave. She could not tear Chuck’s family apart again.
Chuck called Tara one night with shocking news: Phoebe had revealed at Erica’s party the truth about Charlie’s parentage. Worried about what this would do to Charlie, Tara sought Phil’s help.

1979: Tara was frantic when she got word that Ray Gardner had shot Chuck, and that Phil was going after him. The experience confirmed in her heart that she loved Phil. Phil rushed Chuck to the hospital. In his delusional state, he called out for Tara. Tara turned to Donna and assured her that it meant nothing. She was no longer going to stand between her and her husband.
Tara and Phil had a vow renewal ceremony, this time with Charlie present. Since Phoebe’s declaration, Charlie had begun to accept Phil as his father. Tara still worried about Phil’s dangerous life. Phil took a job with the Federal Narcotic Bureau, forcing the Brents to move to Washington, DC. Before she left, Tara learned she was getting a new baby brother. Joe and Ruth were pregnant.
But their happiness was cut short when Phil went missing again. She moved Charlie back to Pine Valley while the government searched for her husband. The only person she could turn to was Chuck.

1980: Tara had turned to Chuck again in her time of mourning. Tara felt great guilt over being drawn to her ex-husband, especially after the promise she had made to Donna the year before. Tara began seeing Jim Jefferson, the child psychologist who was treating Charlie’s grief over Phil’s disappearance.

1981: Phil was confirmed dead on his special mission. The plane he was flying in was shot down with a bomb. Tara grieved her loss in Jim’s arms. He proposed, and she rashly agreed to the marriage. She and Charlie moved with Jim to Portland.

1985: Kate passed away peacefully in her sleep. All of the Martins returned to say farewell to their beloved grandmother.Tara and Jim had a baby girl, Kate Jefferson.

1995: Joe implored Tara to return to Pine Valley after Kate, now going by Kelsey, ran away from home. Kelsey was pregnant. She had felt ignored by Tara and Jim who were having marital issues. Tara arranged for Kelsey to move in with her grandparents while she sorted things out back home.

2008: Tara was afraid to go into a surgery alone. Joe came out to support her. While he was away from Pine Valley Hospital , Dr. David Hayward blackmailed Joe into abdicating as Chief-of-Staff so as to protect Jake Martin's medical credentials.