TINKER AFB FACT SHEET • Tinker Air Force Base was named in honor of Major General Clarence L. Tinker of Pawhuska, Okla. General Tinker lost his life while leading a flight of LB-30 “Liberators” on a long- range strike against Japanese forces on Wake Island during the early months of World War II. • Tinker AFB’s history began in 1940 when a group of Oklahoma City civic leaders and businessmen learned that the War Department was considering the central United States as a location for a maintenance and supply depot. On April 8, 1941, the order was officially signed awarding the depot to Oklahoma City. • During World War II, Tinker’s industrial plant repaired B-24 and B-17 bombers and fitted B-29s for combat. • Throughout the Korean conflict, Tinker continued its output -- keeping planes flying and funneling supplies to the Far East. • The base also played an important role in the Berlin and the Cuban crises. During the Vietnam War, Tinker provided logistics and communications support to Air Force units in Southeast Asia.
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