17 People Died on One Military Base Just This Year, but the Air Force Won't Say Why

A new report from Military.com has revealed that Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is refusing to reveal the cause of death for 17 base personnel who have passed away this year. How does one base have a death toll of 17 in the span of eight months? Why would the base not want to share information concerning what happened to these individuals and why so many people at one military installation have died?

Since the base is funded with American tax dollars and the people dying are public servants, I think the general public has a right to know what is going on at Tinker Air Force Base, don’t you?

According to the Daily Caller, the base would not provide details about how 17 people working at the base have died from what they called “various causes,” going on to say that several of the deaths were still currently under investigation. Gee, that doesn’t sound suspicious or anything. Several posts on social media, along with a source connected to the base, have made claims that Tinker Air Force Base has suddenly become afflicted by numerous suicides. That’s a rather chilling thought.

“I’m sorry, but we are not going to release the number of deaths at Tinker,” Kimberly Woodruff, a spokesperson representing Tinker Air Force Base, said to the folks at Military.com. “We have ongoing investigations and to protect the families and the units, we won’t comment on those numbers. It is Air Force policy that we do not disclose information about deaths or their circumstances.”

Here’s more from the report:

There is no policy that prohibits releasing the number of deaths at Air Force bases, according to Department of the Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek, Military.com reported. Tinker Air Force Base public affairs later released the number of deaths from the current calendar year to Military.com, but did not disclose their causes.

"We are losing far too many to suicide. Suicide is tragic and senseless. It is 100% preventable. This allows our military force to be stronger and more mentally fit" – Teri and Patrick Caserta (@BrandoncasertaF) https://t.co/zZVoe2DhIq

— The Mental Health Coalition (@mentalhealthcln) May 3, 2023

Several other branches of the military have been swift in identifying deaths and suspected suicides, according to Military.com. The Army and bipartisan lawmakers brought attention to several suicides of service members stationed in Alaska in 2022, and – when inquired – the Navy immediately confirmed to Military.com the deaths and suspected suicides aboard the USS George Washington and USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Teri Caserta, the mother of a sailor who committed suicide in 2018, remarked that the base should be held accountable for releasing details concerning the deaths. Caserta helped to launch the establishment of the Brandon Act, which is named after her deceased son and enables members of the military to seek out treatment for mental health issues discreetly.

“Tinker does not have to disclose the names of the airmen/women who have died, but I believe we as citizens who have service members and who have children looking into serving our country deserve to know why and how airmen/women are dying,” Caserta wrote in an email on Wednesday, according to Military.com. “We need to know that the Air Force takes all deaths as seriously as they claim and, if there is toxicity within the ranks at Tinker, they all should be held accountable for these deaths whether they are suicides or not.”

When the Daily Caller tried to reach out for a comment on the report, Tinker Air Force Base did not immediately offer a response.

It’s not hard to understand why. Something is definitely going on at the base for leadership to be trying so hard to keep the causes of death secret. There are a number of things that could be going on, and if the base wants to avoid speculation, it should release the information. That’s the only way to keep people’s imaginations from running wild.