An alarming number of deaths at a Midwest installation has military and civilian personnel asking, “What is going on at Tinker Air Force Base?”
Military.com reported this week that 17 base people at the Oklahoma City military installation have died in 2023.
The causes of death were not initially revealed. Base spokesman Kimberly Woodruff said Wednesday the deaths were due to “various causes.”
“We have ongoing investigations, and to protect the families and the units, we won’t comment on those numbers,” she said. “It is Air Force policy that we do not disclose information about deaths or their circumstances.”
Woodruff refused to confirm the fatality count to Military.com, saying, “I’m sorry, but we are not going to release the number of deaths at Tinker.”
Later, the base public affairs department released the number of deaths (17) this calendar year “but did not specify which deaths were being investigated as due to suicide, accidents, illnesses or other causes,” Military.com reported.
One unnamed source at the installation said some of the deaths were potentially due to suicide and others to COVID-19.
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Tinker Installation Commander Col. Abigail Ruscetta later confirmed to KFOR-TV that 11 uniformed and civilian personnel died due to natural causes or accidents.
Some of the six remaining deaths are under investigation, and most of the 17 were civilians, Ruscetta added.
Air Force officials have remained mum about the deaths of 17 people on an Oklahoma base this year, citing concerns for its active units as well as the families of those who have died. https://t.co/4vXnenfC3w
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) August 17, 2023
Ruscetta told KOKH-TV that most of the deaths took place off of the base.
Military.com reported it began inquiring about the deaths after investigating social media posts alleging Tinker was amid a rash of suicides.
In an email statement to Military.com, Ruscetta said her staff is “deeply saddened by the losses we have experienced at Tinker Air Force Base.”
“Our focus moving forward is to let everyone know we value them, and we stand together as a team,” she said.
Stars and Stripes reported there are about 30,000 personnel on the base, including government employees, contractors and civilians.
Military.com said mental health assistance is available around the clock to service members or veterans from the Veterans and Military Crisis Line by calling or texting 988. Help also is available via chat at 988lifeline.org and veteranscrisisline.net.
