The USAF has revealed that 11 of the 17 deaths at an Oklahoma air base this year were from natural causes, but six were still under investigation.
Since then, Tinker Air Force Base has been in the spotlight Military. com confirmed that there had been 17 deaths this year at the base, which employs more than 30,000 military, government employees, contractors and civilians.
Most of the 17 who died were civilians, said Colonel Abigail Ruscetta, the 72nd Air Base Wing Commander.
A source told Military.com that some of the deaths were potential suicides, and some were related to Covid-19.
Colonel Abigail Ruscetta, the 72nd Air Base Wing Commander, said Thursday that 11 of the 17 deaths so far this year were from natural causes.
The base, south of Oklahoma City, employs 30,000 people
“Tinker Air Force Base has suffered 17 deaths since January of this year,” Ruscetta said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Eleven of the missing uniformed and civilian pilots died of natural causes or accidents.
“The six remaining losses are due to other causes, some of which are still under investigation.”
There are few details about the people who died on the base. Only an obituary for Senior Airperson Tyler Jo Law, who died May 28, listed her at the base.
The obituary did not list a cause of death. Ruscetta said the Air Force was working to support the friends and relatives of those who died.
“Any death, whether by suicide or otherwise, is a tragedy,” she said.
“After each loss of life, leaders of the stricken unit met with their people to acknowledge the loss of a valued teammate.
“We provided many options for support, including a network of aid agencies, mental health counselors, chaplains, and military family readiness professionals.”
The Tinker Air Force base is home to 30,000 military, government employees, contractors and civilians
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
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, the 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
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.
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
“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.
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.