The story behind Memorial Day

More than 1.3 million Americans have fought and died on behalf of our country during the past 233 years. Except for Afghanistan and Iraq, those wars and conflicts have receded into the pages of history books. But our country was not built on history books. It was built on the backs of men and women

Police Week shootout

Education gets electrified at tech center

You might call Don Staley a bright spark. A student of aircraft propellers in an era when they were common, Mr. Staley now educates about electricity. An instructor with the Tinker Technical Center, Mr. Staley is currently the sole instructor for the center's 120-hour AC/DC basic electrical course.

The Mother’s Day mission

"Mayday, mayday, mayday," called the forward air controller. "Manual four two is down. Manual four two is down. One good chute." Marine 1st Lt. Gary Bain hit the ground hard, his arm and leg already broken from the ejection. There was no sign of his fellow crewman from the F-4 Phantom and Lieutenant

CCAF crowns latest Tinker graduates

The head of the University of Oklahoma's outreach program says he is impressed with the Community College of the Air Force and its graduates, saying they are the prototype of modern college-level students. Speaking at the Spring 2009 commencement ceremony at Tinker last week, Dr. James Pappas said

Squadron celebrates customers with Appreciation Week

The 72nd Force Support Squadron has set aside the week of May 31 to June 6 as Customer Appreciation Week. The week is dedicated to patrons as a way of saying "thank you" for choosing Force Support. During the week, several 72nd FSS facilities will have daily specials. Customers can also enter a

72nd FSS plans Summer Bash

The 72nd Force Support Squadron's Summer Bash will be June 6 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the base picnic ground, between the Tinker Golf Course and Bldg. 6001. Summer Bash is open to all Tinker personnel and their invited guests. Admission is free. This year's Summer Bash will include live music from

Tinker boxer training for U.S. Amateur Championship

Tinker boxer James Barber has been selected to represent the Air Force as its featherweight champion for 2009. Barber, a first lieutenant with the 552nd Operations Support Squadron, has been a member of the Tinker Boxing Club for approximately two years. This year, he attempted to represent Tinker

Team USA rallies to beat Team Canada in inaugural Can Am Cup competition

The inaugural Can Am Cup was a rousing success. Both teams entered the contest filled with excitement, confidence and an anticipation of a great hockey game. The 300 fans in attendance weren't disappointed as Team USA rallied and took the 5-4 victory May 15 at the Blazers Ice Centre. Before the

F119 engine modules arrive at OC-ALC

The first modules from the production engines powering the Air Force's F-22 Raptor are beginning to arrive at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center for depot-level maintenance and the center's experience with these high-tech engines puts Tinker in the running for the contract to maintain the