Tinker employee honored for 50 years of service

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- When Troy Corder came to work at Tinker Air Force Base, Lyndon B. Johnson was president of the United States, Charles de Gaulle was president of France, a gallon of gasoline cost 32 cents, a first-class postage stamp cost a nickel, and the first episode of the sci-fi series Star Trek was broadcast on television.

Dr. Corder, an education services specialist, was honored Tuesday with a 50-year lapel pin and a certificate for his half-century of military and civilian service to the U.S. government. The presentation was made by Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, and approximately two dozen friends and co-workers attended the event. Dr. Corder is assigned to the Education and Military Training Office of the 72nd Force Support Squadron.

"Education is one of the critical elements of our nation and its ability to defend itself," the general said during his presentation. The thousands of individuals Dr. Corder has helped throughout his career is a lasting legacy, General Litchfield added.

Dr. Corder enlisted in the U.S. Army on Dec. 27, 1955, as a fire direction control technician. At the end of his three-year enlistment he separated from the Army and re-entered civilian life, and did "a little bit of everything" for the next eight years.

He entered civil service at Tinker AFB on Sept. 22, 1966, as a pneudraulic systems mechanic; for the next 13 years he worked as an instrument mechanic, a quality assurance technician and an instrument mechanic supervisor.

He transferred to the Education Services Office at Tinker as an adult guidance counselor 33 years ago, on April 27, 1980. He held that post until he moved to his current position as an education services specialist on Dec. 30, 1990.

During his career, Dr. Corder, has received numerous Time Off and performance awards, was the 72nd FSS Category 3 Civilian of the Quarter (January-March 2009), and received the 72nd Mission Support Group Wingman of the Quarter award (April-June) last year.

He said he has continued working because, "I didn't have anything else to do after my wife died," and said he plans to remain on the job "for at least another year or two, so long as my health is good."

Dr. Corder received his doctorate degree from Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Corder, 79, is the fifth oldest of the approximately 15,000 civilian employees at Tinker (the oldest is 91). Only four people working at Tinker have amassed more years of government service than Dr. Corder's 50 years (the most is 59 years). And Dr. Corder's 47 years of civil service are the tenth-longest among active employees at Tinker (the longest is 53 years).