Tinker Air Force Base deaths: 17 people dead in 2023, military refuses to reveal causes

An Oklahoma air base is tight-lipped after 17 people have died since early 2023, with an advocate for military families saying she inquired about a possible wave of suicides.

Air Force and base officials declined to disclose the nature of the deaths, saying only that there were “various causes.”

DailyMail.com has contacted the base for a statement or names of staff who died, but officials have not responded to this report in time.

A number of the deaths are also still ‘under investigation’, according to a spokesman for the base. a Military. com research suggested that “this year they had been made aware of deaths associated with the base, including possible suicides.”

It’s not clear how many of the dead were military personnel or what their role was at the base, which has more than 30,000 personnel on site.

There is little information or news articles about the people who died on the base. Just an obituary for Senior Airperson Tyler Jo Law, who died on the base on May 28, reported that she was on the base.

The obituary did not list a cause of death.

Government employees, contractors, and civilians all make up the Oklahoma base workforce.

A source told Military.com that there were potential COVID-19 deaths in addition to suicides.

“We are deeply saddened by the losses we suffered at Tinker Air Force Base,” Colonel Abby Ruscetta, Tinker’s installation commander, said in a statement.

“Our focus for the future is to let everyone know we appreciate them, and we stand together as a team.”

Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesman, said the Defense Department is responsible for all statistics highlighting base suicides, but they are never released with specific numbers pertaining to each military branch.

There is also no law preventing an individual base from releasing death counts.

Senior Airperson Tyler Jo Law died at the base on May 28

It’s not clear how many of the dead were military personnel or what their job was at the base, which has more than 30,000 personnel on site

Based in Oklahoma City, Tinker is also home to some naval facilities and the Defense Logistics Agency.

According to the Department of Defense, the Air Force reported 17 suicides across its entire force between January 1 and March 31 of this year.

Kimberly Woodruff, the base’s spokeswoman, said it is “committed to fostering a culture that values ​​and encourages help-seeking behaviors and builds individual confidence.”

“Tinker Air Force Base officials have reached out to our people following the recent loss of life and have a network of relief agencies including mental health counselors, chaplains and military family readiness professionals,” she added.

Teri Caserta, an activist on behalf of military families after her son committed suicide in 2018, said she had seen social media posts suggesting there might be a wave of suicides at Tinker.

“Tinker is not required to disclose the names of the deceased pilots, but I believe that as citizens who have military personnel and children who want to serve our country, we deserve to know why and how pilots die,” Caserta said.

“We need to know that the Air Force takes all deaths as seriously as they claim, and if there is any toxicity within the ranks at Tinker, they should all be held accountable for these deaths, whether suicides or not.”

The Air Force announced two weeks ago that it was updating its mental health policy regarding the law named after Caserta’s son Brandon, which passed in 2022.

At least five crew members aboard the USS George Washington (pictured) have been confirmed to have committed suicide. There have been others who have attempted suicide but failed to kill themselves

A source told Military.com that there were potential COVID-19 deaths in addition to suicides

Both the Army and Navy have been outspoken about what have been described as “suicide clusters” in recent years.

Last year, the Navy removed 260 sailors from the USS George Washington after multiple deaths and suicides aboard.

In the year before the announcement, the ship had lost seven crew members. In April alone, the ship suffered three apparent suicides.

The base also named each of the crew members who died, contrary to the levels of transparency shown by the Air Force.