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  • Jim Gordon and Sweetie Scholz file filled prescriptions in the 72nd Medical Group’s Pharmacy drive-through area. Retired from a military and civil service Air Force career, Mr. Gordon says working with people has made his four years of volunteering rewarding. Ms. Scholz has volunteered in several places here for approximately 20 years and she agrees with Mr. Gordon. “I feel good when I leave,” she said. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.” (Air Force photos by Margo Wright)

    Volunteers fill vital role on base, more needed to help base mission

    They often fly under the radar but without them, the mission at Tinker would be impossible. They regularly operate with little notoriety and perform their tasks with unheralded devotion -- fully aware that their greatest accomplishments are those done for others. Their presence saves the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars and these
  • Long-distance runner Jamie Weber, left, was looking to change up her workout routine when she attended her first roller derby bout. Though she’s just playing in her first year, the engineer with the 72nd Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Directorate, has a reputation as one of the best jammers on her team. (Courtesy photo)

    Tornado Alley sweeps up two Tinker women

    "Rumblin' Ruby" and "Rogue 2Hell" will not show mercy. Donning protective gear, mouth guards, helmets, roller skates and their "derby attitudes," they mean business. After all, they are Tornado Alley Roller Girls with a 7-1 record.Sally Phelps and Jamie Weber, respectively, are two of 51 women who participate in the Oklahoma City Roller Derby
  • Senior Airman Matthew Child, left, and Airman 1st Class Joshua Martin are 552nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chiefs in the Red Aircraft Maintenance Unit. Blistering summer days or the bite of winter doesn’t matter when it comes to making sure an E-3 Sentry is safe and ready to fly. Working through a checklist they pour over a jet, tightening fasteners, checking for anything that needs attention. Seeing “their” E-3 fly is a great feeling for them, knowing they had a hands-on to getting it airborne. “Knowing I changed those tires, and to see it fly, that’s a pretty cool feeling,” said Airman Martin. (Air Force photo by Margo Wright)

    Team Tinker beats the heat

    As the summer sun peeks over the horizon, illuminating the Oklahoma plains with golden hues, Michelle Rudloff couldn't think of a place she'd rather be: outside, in the heat of a Mid-Western summer, watching the grass grow. There's nowhere better, she says.It's a sweltering July day at Tinker and although the clock still reads ante meridiem, the
  • Richard Zyzak first suited up as a referee at Tinker in 1970 and is still going strong today. The 79 year old says he loves what he does and plans to continue officiating games for a few more years. (Air Force photo by John Stuart)

    Tinker ref has been making the calls for decades

    Several inches of water covered the football field as Millwood High School and Bishop McGuiness fought it out on a sloshy Friday evening in the fall. Richard Zyzak stood as the offensive umpire that night some 25 years ago. Though a deluge had moved through the area before the game, he was relatively dry -- for now. The ball was hiked and the
  • In a Bldg. 3 warehouse, auditor John Tulp verifies the serial number of an F101/102 engine. Mr Tulp will verify if an engine listed at Tinker is actually here and helps agencies manage their assets by these requested audits. Personnel learn the auditors are helping and not hunting for faults. “They realize we’re auditing processes, not people,” said Mr. Tulp.

    Blessing in disguise: Tinker Area Audit Office

    They've been likened to number crunchers, but the Air Force Audit Agency personnel at Tinker are more than that. They are also researchers, inspectors and consultants educated in nearly every aspect of Tinker, the Air National Guard unit at Will Rogers World Airport and Altus Air Force Base, Okla. Made up of 30 auditors and one administrative
  • Katherine Nobile takes aim at a clay pigeon recently during a shoot day with the Tinker Shooting Club. Nobile, an England native, came to the sport of shooting after marrying her husband J.W., who works at Tinker. The two are members of the shooting club which is open to new members. (Air Force photos by John Stuart)

    On target: Tinker shooting club aims for firearm education

    Katherine Nobile slides the action closed on her 12-gauge shotgun and looks out over the expanse in front of her, steadying her nerves. Everyone waits for her cue. She wipes sweat from her brow in the growing morning heat and then shoulders the firearm. A single word is all it takes."Pull," she yells. An orange-clad clay pigeon takes to the sky and

  • Airport welcome center offers military members a comfortable spot to land

    They sat on a plush leather couch with video-game controllers in their hands. Dressed in their Army Combat Uniforms, two privates were intently focused on the flat-screen action before them as they enjoyed the amenities offered by the YMCA Military Welcome Center.The 5,000-square-foot center is situated at cargo door "O," an outside walk from
  • Outdoor enthusiasts Mat Burton, from right, and Erik Jones paddle down Arkansas' Buffalo River on an Outdoor Recreation excursion in 2008. Jones has participated in a number of Outdoor Rec trips and offers his outdoors expertise across the board, from canoeing to mountain climbing. (Courtesy photo)

    Work to live: Outdoor Rec trips help Tinker man share passion for adventure with base

    A Rocky Mountain sun peeked over the horizon and spread a swath of golden light across the valley. Erik Jones looked up the mountain some 200 meters from where he was situated comfortably on a rock, as the orange beams slammed against the face of Long's Peak. Jones was accompanied by a handful of friends and fellow mountaineers on that day several
  • A picture of her father, Kris, adorns Kristy Garriott’s workspace. The E-3 engineer with the 327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, is working at Tinker in the same type of position that her father held for years.(Air Force photo by Margo Wright)

    Engineer continues father’s Sentry legacy

    To most children, their parents' jobs are just a lot of smoke and mirrors. Few kids truly comprehend what mom and dad actually do while away from the house for long hours of the workday. For many, they get a good-bye and perhaps a peck on the cheek, with a promise to 'see you when I get home.' Then, the parents are gone, and the mystery of their
  • Tinker’s four fitness centers are managed by the 72nd Force Support Squadron’s Sustainment Services Flight. An indoor cycling class at the Bldg. 216 fitness center is a high energy class held daily.(Air Force photo by Margo Wright)

    Force Support Sustainment Flight is customer driven, ‘behind the scenes’

    Your wellbeing is their first priority. And, they work around the clock managing the base's lodging, fitness, dining facilities and Honor Guard to meet your satisfaction. "They" are the 172 personnel in the 72nd Force Support Squadron's Sustainment Services Flight. Spread throughout the base, the unit is responsible for four fitness centers, at
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