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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
‘One of the two or three most important bases’ plays vital role Tinker’s key function is as Air Force’s garage BY SILAS ALLEN Staff Writer sallen@oklahoman.com
T
inker Air Force Base is a lot of different things at once. The sprawling southeast Oklahoma City area installation is the home base for the bulk of the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of E-3 Sentry aircraft, which serve as the military’s eyes in the sky over battlefields. It’s also the home of the KC-135 Stratotanker, the tanker jet that keeps the Air Force’s other planes in the air. But the biggest, and arguably most important, function the base serves is as the Air Force’s garage. Tinker is the home of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, a 62-building maintenance complex where repairs and upgrades are made on several Air Force planes, including the KC-135 and E-3, as well as the B-52 and B-1 bombers and the C-130 Hercules, the Air Force’s workhorse transport plane. The 8.2 millionsquare-foot facility is the biggest air logistics center in the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, one of 10 major commands in the Air Force. The complex’s location at Tinker makes the base an indispensable part of the nation’s air defense capability, said retired Air Force Col. Mark Tarpley, the Air Force Association’s state president for Oklahoma. “It’s one of the two or three most important bases in the Air Force,” Tarpley said. The complex is made up of five groups and eight staff offices, employing more than 9,400 civilian and military personnel in all. One of those groups maintains and overhauls engines for Air Force and Navy planes. Another restores broken aircraft parts to working condition. Yet another develops the software that pilots use to operate planes in flight. In some cases, machinists make parts to repair older planes for which replacement parts aren’t available. The military generally couldn’t survive without the complexes and the work they do, not only to overhaul aircraft, but also to provide the logistical, engineering and maintenance support to military service members across the globe on a daily basis, according to two top-ranking officers who served at Tinker. Such logistics organizations are critical because the military, and especially the Air Force, are using a fleet of vintage aircraft, retired Maj. General David Gillett and retired Lt. Gen. Donald J. Wetekam said. Both men served at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, the precursor to the present-day air logistics complex. “When I came into the Air Force in 1973, the average age of the entire Air Force fleet was 9 years,” Wetekam said. “When I retired in 2007, it was 24 years. “Today, the average age is 27 years, and there are entire fleets that
Michael Potter, a composite fabricator for the 553rd Commodities Maintenance Squadron, repairs a section of B-1B flight control surface at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex in 2016. The squadron manufactures and maintains components for KC-135, B-1B, B-52H, E-3 and E-6 aircraft. [PHOTO BY GREG L. DAVIS, U.S. AIR FORCE]
average more than 50 years — the B-52 and the KC-135 (both overhauled at Tinker) are two good examples.” Bigger role Tinker is expected to take on an even bigger role in maintaining the Air Force’s fleet of planes in the coming years, when the new KC-46 Pegasus is operational. The tanker is designed to replace the KC-135, which was brought into service 60 years ago to keep the Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortresses in the air at the height of the Cold War. Tinker will provide maintenance for the KC-46 once the plane is operational. Last year, base officials broke ground on the KC-46 Sustainment Campus, a 158-acre complex that will handle repair, maintenance and overhaul of the tankers. Although Boeing expects to deliver the first three KC-46 aircraft to the Air Force in September, with more on the way next year, Air Force officials don’t expect to phase out the KC-135 for decades. That means the 507th Air Refueling Wing, a U.S. Air Force Reserve unit based at Tinker, likely will be flying the aging tanker for years to come. The unit has taken an active role in the fight against the self-pro-
claimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS. In February, more than 90 airmen returned from a two-month deployment to Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey. During the deployment, airmen conducted midair refuelings with the B-2 Spirit, the F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Warthog jets in midair and did maintenance work on other KC-135 tankers stationed at the south-central Turkey air base. Another group of airmen from the unit is scheduled to deploy this summer. The 552nd Air Control Wing, also based at Tinker, is another key part of the fight against ISIS. The wing flies the E-3 Sentry, more commonly known as the AWACS, a 153-foot jet fitted with a radar dome that gives its crew a look at enemy placement and movements within a 250-mile range. A group of 240 airmen from the wing returned from deployment to southwest Asia in November. Col. David Gaedecke, commander of the wing, said the plane’s crew can use the information it collects to direct other aircraft, making them aware of friendly forces and potential threats on the ground. For instance, Gaedecke said, if a plane is low on fuel, the AWACS crew could direct the pilot toward a tanker nearby.
The crew also can warn other planes to steer clear of a particular area where the radar image showed a surface-to-air missile — something that would be difficult for the pilot of a fighter jet to spot. “Whereas that fighter might be turning this way or that way and only looking in one particular area, we’re able to cover a much larger volume with our radar,” Gaedecke said.
When airmen from the wing aren’t deployed abroad, Gaedecke said they — like airmen from other units across the base — are a part of the fabric of Oklahoma. Military service members tend to move from place to place over the course of their careers, he said, but it’s not uncommon to find members of the 552nd who have been in Oklahoma for a decade or more. Many airmen
choose to stay in the state after they retire, in part because of the low cost of living and job opportunities, but also because they simply like it here, he said. “Sometimes I think people look at the military as a transient population,” Gaedecke said. “We’re just part of Oklahoma.” Contributing: Jack Money, Staff Writer
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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
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‘It works very well’ Canadian detachment serves side-by-side with American airmen BY SILAS ALLEN Staff Writer sallen@oklahoman.com
To see members of the 552nd Air Control Wing’s Canadian Detachment working alongside their American counterparts, it could be tough to tell that they don’t fight for the same air force. At least, until the two sides face off in their annual hockey match. Airmen from the Royal Canadian Air Force have manned missions as a part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, since 1979. Canadian airmen have worked closely alongside the rest of the wing since then. Each year since 2009, members of the Canadian detachment have faced American airmen in the Can-Am Cup, an annual hockey match held at Blazers Ice Centre in south Oklahoma City. In 2016, the Americans defeated the Canadians 9-5. This year, rumors are flying around the wing that the Canadian Detachment may bring in a few ringers on temporary duty. “I can’t confirm or deny that,” said Lt. Col. Don Saunders, commander of the Canadian Detachment. Today, there are 42
Canadian airmen stationed at Tinker. Those airmen perform essentially the same functions as their American counterparts, Saunders said. They serve in the same operational squadrons as American airmen, go through the same training and fly the same sorties. “The partnership is so tight that if you changed the flight suits out, you wouldn’t notice if it was a Canadian or an American that was actually fulfilling the function,” Saunders said. The 552nd — both its American and Canadian components — flies the E-3 Sentry, more commonly known as the AWACS, a 153-foot jet fitted with a radar dome that gives its crew a look at enemy placement and movements within a 250-mile range. Similarities between the two air forces allow the Americans and Canadians to work well together, said Col. David Gaedecke, commander of the wing. Beyond just being close allies, the two militaries share similar standards of military operations. Those shared standards mean that Canadian airmen generally adapt easily when they come to the United States. For instance, when Gaedecke and Saunders were trained as aircrew commanders, they went through the same training syllabus, Gaedecke said. The two countries also use similar hardware like ground radar stations, he
The partnership is so tight that if you changed the flight suits out, you wouldn’t notice if it was a Canadian or an American that was actually fulfilling the function. Lt. Col. Don Saunders, Canadian Detachment Commander
said, so a Canadian airman who is trained to work with Canadian equipment easily could learn to use the American version. “We’re very similar in the way that we operate. We’re similar in the way that we train,” Gaedecke said. “And because of that, it works very well.”
Top: Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Col. Don Saunders, commander of the 552nd Air Control Wing Canadian Detachment, left, and U.S. Air Force Col. David Gaedecke, commander of the 552nd Air Control Wing, lead Canadian Consul General Sara Wilshaw on a tour of an E-3 Sentry during Wilshaw’s 2015 visit to Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTO BY DARREN D. HEUSEL, AIR FORCE]
Left: Tinker Air Force Base is home to the bulk of the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of E-3 Sentry jets, also known as the Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS. The base celebrated the plane’s 40th anniversary earlier this year. [PHOTO BY GREG L. DAVIS, AIR FORCE]
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SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
‘I didn’t think it could be done’ Oklahoma City’s war effort helped reshape community BY JACK MONEY Business Writer jmoney@oklahoman.com
During the mid-1930s, Oklahomans and people across the nation were busy working their way through the Great Depression and likely hoping that gathering war clouds over Europe and in Southeast Asia would leave the country alone. But members of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber in 1935 noticed when Congress approved a measure that anticipated the country would need a civilian and military air center near the middle of the United States. Then, they — just like their successors today — knew that every job the state could attract was precious to its economy. They watched closely as both Congress and the nation’s War Department further refined that idea, providing information to the government about Oklahoma City’s interest in the projects along the way. In 1940, the chamber group quietly began to ask its members to put up money to secure land that could immediately be made available if any military expansion into the area might be proposed. The group created its Industries Foundation in December 1940, according to its records, and the foundation secured pledges of $294,500 from chamber members to further its plans. Initially, the foundation’s stated goals were to enlarge the community’s civilian airport south and west of town, (Will Rogers World Airport) and to build a new one (Wiley Post Airport) in northwest Oklahoma City. Its first deal involved buying 1,219 acres adjacent to the civilian airport to make room for a U.S. Army air base. But more deals were about to be made, once its members realized the U.S. Army Air Corps was scouting locations to set up an air depot where war planes could be maintained and repaired. Contingent surprised A small group of military officers made an inconspicuous entry into Oklahoma City in March 1941 to consider potential locations for an air depot. They brought with them a list of demands they never expected Oklahoma City to meet. The U.S. Army sought a gift of nearly 1,000 acres of land, plus options for additional
U.S. Army Air Corps Col. William Turnbull, Tinker’s first commander, reviews soldiers at the field in 1943 after being succeeded in leading the post by another officer. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY U.S. ARMY]
land. If a suitable site could be located, the Army wanted its host community to relocate pipelines and remove other obstructions, to provide 40 miles of concrete and graded highway and streets, to make available an ample supply of water, and to provide rail access. The Army asked for it all, without a cost for the U.S. government, plus, sought assurances that same day that those requests could be met. E.K. Gaylord, president and general manager of The Oklahoma Publishing Co., and other Industries Foundation members quickly got to work to provide those assurances. The Oklahoma City, Ada & Atoka Railway agreed to furnish track to the site. County Commissioners for Oklahoma County and Oklahoma’s highway commission agreed to build the needed roads, and members of the Oklahoma City Council agreed to call a bond issue to reimburse Industries Foundation members for their investment and to pay for other needed land acquisitions and other work. Jack Hull, the chamber’s research expert, gave the delegation of Army officers, led by Maj. P.J. McNaughton, a tour of potential locations and provided McNaughton and others the assurances they sought by the end of the day. Later, Hull recalled that an amazed McNaughton reacted by saying, “Damned if you didn’t do it. It’s all here. I didn’t think it could be done.” Within weeks, after a visit from a higherranking officer to review the proposed deal, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber was notified on April 8, 1941, that the city had been selected to be the site for the new Midwest Air Depot, ultimately costing more than $21 million to build. Starting steps Less than a week later, city officials began putting together the language for a bond issue election that would be held at the end of the month to raise nearly $1
Construction continues at Tinker Field in 1942. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
million. About a third of that money would repay members of the Industries Foundation for their initial investment to expand Will Rogers, acquire the land for Wiley Post Airport and acquire land for the air depot that now is known as Tinker Air Force Base. The remainder of the money was designated to match federal funds that would pour into the area for an estimated $30 million program of construction, Oklahoma City Mayor Robert A. Hefner said then. “All of it is vital to building a strong national defense, and Oklahoma City will do its part by putting over the bond issue,” Hefner said. Frank Buttram, president of the Industries Foundation, headed a 27-member committee formed to lead a campaign to secure approval of the bond issue. City voters delivered that support in a big way, overwhelmingly approving the measure by a vote of 22,973 to 1,217. Also before the end of April 1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps announced it was expanding its plans for the air depot and a crew of engineers began preliminary work needed before construction could begin. In June, the city delivered title to land the U.S. Army Air Corps needed to start working on the depot, and the Charles M. Dunning Co., Guy H. James and Patterson Steel Co. of Tulsa teamed up to form a firm to build the project. Initially, the depot was expected to cover 1,440 acres, nearly two thirds of which were secured by Oklahoma City through its Industries Foundation and the bond issue election. However, before the end of 1941, the U.S. government sought to
After setting a record-breaking pace by laying a mile of asphalt paving, a county road building crew in May 1942 worked to complete a second mile of a county road to connect SE 29 and E Reno Avenue, immediately north of the Oklahoma City air depot. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTO]
This letter written by E.K. Gaylord, president and chairman of The Oklahoma Publishing Co., asks for members of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s Industries Foundation to attend a December 1940 meeting about the organization’s plans to attract military bases. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
add an additional 960 acres to the site and, after Pearl Harbor, Congress appropriated an additional $7 million for the project. Work begins An article written by former Tinker Air Force Base historian James L. Crowder Jr., said chamber, city and military officials gathered at the site on July 30, 1941, to break ground on the project using a huge, diesel bulldozer. W.E. Hightower, the chamber’s president, told the assembled group the project was much too important to start with simple shovels. “I think this tractor is the least we should use for an affair symbolizing a project of such magnitude,” he told them. Workers began paving a 6,000-foot-long north to south runway in December 1941. By then, 1,600 men were working on what then was called a $25 million project, about 25 percent of the base’s streets were complete, and workers were busy building structures for the depot supply center, its engine repair, engine test, operations and transport hangar, as well as a storage hangar. The first aircraft to land at the base was a fivepassenger Howard carrying depot commander Col. William Turnbull, in April 1942. On Aug. 1, 1942, without fanfare, the military took control of
Construction workers build the second lane of Tinker’s runway in 1941. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
the depot from the contractors that built it. Chamber leaders not only were after an air depot, however. They also were negotiating with two private companies that built planes to see if they could attract them to Oklahoma City, too. A key member of the Industries Foundation involved in the pursuit of that goal was Hightower, an executive with First National Bank in Oklahoma City. Hightower made numerous trips to both California and Washington, D.C., to attend conferences that finally led Douglas Aircraft to announce it would build a production facility adjacent to the air depot in January 1942. Both projects proved exceedingly important to the war effort, and remain so to this day. At Tinker during World War II, more than 18,000 military and civilian employees repaired and modified B-17, B-24
and B-29 bombers, as well as C-47 and C-54 cargo planes. They also overhauled thousands of aircraft engines and shipped supplies around the world. Meanwhile, the Douglas Plant, employing close to 24,000 people at its peak, produced more than 5,300 C-47 Skytrain aircraft and parts to build 400 C-54 Skymaster cargo planes and 900 A-26 Invader attack bombers during the half decade it operated. In a published article, Gaylord later recalled a conversation he had years later with one of the officers who initially visited the city to consider it as an air depot location. Gaylord said that officer told him the Air Corps already had decided the depot would be built in Wichita, Kansas, before visiting Oklahoma City. “He told me … after we wound the whole thing up in a day, the decision had to be changed.”
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
‘Off we go into the wild blue yonder’
Lt. Gen. Lee K. Levy, left, is pictured with Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear during the kickoff luncheon to outline future events during 2017 celebrating the 75th anniversary of Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTO BY
Base named for Oklahoma pilot lost at sea BY BRIANNA BAILEY
JIM BECKEL, THE
Staff writer bbailey@oklahoman.com
OKLAHOMAN]
A
fter Maj. Gen. Clarence Tinker’s plane was lost at sea during the Battle of Midway in 1942, his friends were comforted by the fact he died fighting. “Don’t worry, he went just the way he wanted to go. Peace bored the hell out of him,” one friend was said to remark at a memorial service at Hamilton Field, California, after his death, according to an Associated Press article that ran in The Oklahoman on June 13, 1942.
Tinker
Four months after Tinker’s death, Gen. H.H. “Hap” Arnold ordered Oklahoma City Air Depot be renamed Tinker Field. The name changed to Tinker Air Force Base in 1948. “Tink,” as his fellow pilots knew him, craved danger and the thrill of battle. Serving as assistant military attache for aviation in London in 1926, Tinker earned the Soldier’s Medal for pulling
Maj. Gen. Clarence L. Tinker, a native Oklahoman and member of the Osage Nation, was the first general to die in World War II. Tinker Air Force Base is named in his honor. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTO/OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY]
a Navy pilot from the burning wreckage of his aircraft after a crash. The incident left Tinker with many scars. As the Japanese fleet retreated during the battle of Midway on June 7, 1942, Tinker led a flight of Army bombers to attack the enemy east of Wake Island. “When last seen by men in other planes of the formation, the general’s bomber was descending rapidly,” The Associated Press reported of Tinker’s death. Tinker’s LB-30 Liberator and its crew of eight were never found. A major general, Tinker, a native Oklahoman and member of the Osage tribe, was the first general killed in World War II. Tinker was chosen to command the U.S. Army Air Forces in Hawaii in the days after Pearl Harbor. “In my opinion, the Air Force will be the controlling factor in all wars, including this one,” Tinker told reporters in December 1941.
Growing up on tribal land in Pawhuska, Tinker was in awe of famous military figures from Osage tribal history. The stories inspired Tinker to later become a revered military aviator and the U.S. Army’s highest ranking Native American officer at the time of his death. Tinker attended Osage Boarding School in Pawhuska in his youth and later graduated from Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri. In 1908, Tinker was commissioned as a third lieutenant in the Philippine Constabulary. Tinker earned his pilot’s license and entered the Army Air Service in 1922. In 1938, Tinker’s wife, Madeline Tinker McCormick, and the wife of another general helped choose the song “The U.S. Air Force,” as the official anthem of the Air Force as part of a contest sponsored by a magazine. The song is now widely known by its lyrics, “Off we go into the wild blue yonder.”
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Osage Nation embraces relationship with Tinker BY GRAHAM LEE BREWER Staff Writer gbrewer@oklahoman.com
When Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear talks about Tinker Air Force Base, he does so first by paying homage to one of his nation’s most revered modern figures. “To understand the relationship between Tinker Air Force Base and the Osage, you have to understand the place that (Maj.) Gen. Clarence Tinker has among the Osage people,” he said. Every June in Pawhuska, where the tribe is based, the Osage sing a song for Maj. Gen. Tinker at a tribal ceremony. “It is the only song of all the songs sung where everyone in attendance stands,” Standing Bear said. Maj. Gen. Tinker was the first Native American to reach that rank in the United States Army. He was also the first general to die in World War II, when his plane crashed during a bombing raid in 1942. “That song was put into the ceremony shortly
after Maj. Gen. Tinker gave his life for the United States of America at the battle of Midway during World War II,” Standing Bear said. “And, for the Osage, it is a yearly reminder of not only Maj. Gen. Tinker but our relationship with the United States Air Force and all of the branches of service.” Although Tinker has been lauded among his people in the decades since his death, it wasn’t until in recent years that the Osage Nation began to embrace its relationship with the base named for him, Standing Bear said. After speaking with commanders and officials at the base, both the Nation and Tinker decided it was in both their interests to train a new generation of Osage citizens to work through and for the base by increasing opportunities for STEM education, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math. “We need to get the educational system in place which helps the individual and also helps our longer-term project” of retaining young talent
and intellect within the tribe, Standing Bear said. About half of the Nation's 20,500 citizens live outside of Oklahoma. He said many of them move away for employment or education opportunities. “We see the potential that we could eventually provide as many jobs to our people as gaming does,” he said. “The opportunity is there, but in order to take advantage of it, we have to go back to meeting the technological standards of the U.S. Air Force and the Army.” Standing Bear said he already sees those initiatives bearing fruit, such as at a recent science fair for seventh-grade students. “We invited children from all over the reservation. For the vast majority of these students, it was the first science fair they had ever attended. Doing this came from the conversations I had with (Tinker officials) less than three years ago. It’s affecting the way we design our policies and strategies, directly influenced for the better by conversations with officials at Tinker Air Force Base.”
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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
Community leaders changed city’s course BY JACK MONEY Business Writer jmoney@oklahoman.com
I
n December 1940, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s Industries Foundation raised about $300,000 to acquire land for anticipated U.S. military expansions in the community. Many chamber members were hardtack pioneers who had carved a new community from Oklahoma’s prairies. The appointed members of its Industries Foundation, working closely with chamber executives Jack Hull and Stanley Draper, simply were among the best. They were:
Ned Holman
his interests into various other banking institutions across the state, and in 1931, when P.A. Janeway retired as the board chairman at Oklahoma City’s Liberty National Bank, Holman bought an interest in that firm and joined it as chairman of its board. About a year later, Holman became president of the bank and held that position there until he retired in September 1942. Holman moved to Arizona for a time before returning to Guthrie, where he continued to lead that community’s national bank as its president until he died of a heart attack in 1953.
J.F. Owens, left, at a Chamber function in 1940.
tions throughout the area, and the acceptance of air force personnel into the community,” the citation read.
Frank Buttram, foundation president
When Frank Buttram died in 1966 at 80, a news story said his life had been filled with enough hard labor, farsighted pioneering, achievements and service to fill a dozen Horatio Alger novels. Buttram earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1910, then worked on getting a master’s in geology while working at the Oklahoma Geological Survey. In 1914, he organized the Fortune Oil Co. as its chief geologist, and after a string of successful wells, the firm sold in 1918 when he was just 32. The new millionaire founded Buttram Petroleum Co., which he led until his death. He was politically active during the Great Depression in a run for governor, making it to Oklahoma’s first-ever statewide primary runoff against William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray in 1930.
J.F. Owens, advisory board vice chair
Harvey P. Everest
into the nation’s largest magazine distribution firm, Mid-Continent News Co. He joined Liberty National Bank & Trust Co., a company his father, C.H. Everest, had helped build, as a director in 1946. In 1955, he was named president, and in 1967, became chairman of its board before retiring in 1970 with the lifetime titles of honorary chairman and director emeritus of both Liberty and its holding company. Along the way, he received numerous accolades, including one from the National Conference of Christians and Jews, which he had headed as a board chairman and director. In part, it read: “There is scarcely a project in the fields of education, human relations, charity, recreation, health or social work in which Harvey Everest has not been an important factor in some capacity for the betterment of Oklahoma City and its people.”
J.F. Owens, who in the 1930s was president of the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and the National Electric Light Association, led the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber as its chairman in 1932, 1933 and 1934. He was named “the most useful citizen of 1932” in Oklahoma City by a committee of past honorees and other judges. “In every effort of a civic nature, community fund, unemployment relief and unpublished efforts to save individuals and businesses from disaster, Owens has been a factor,” judges said, announcing the award. While Owens played a big role in bringing the air depot to Oklahoma City, he didn’t live long enough to see its completion and opening, as he died at home in February 1942, shortly after being named OG&E’s board chairman.
Tom Braniff
acquired sole-ownership of the firm in 1917. He then added an investment company, and in 1923, built a building in downtown Oklahoma City bearing his name at the corner of Robert S. Kerr and Robinson Avenue. In 1927, Braniff, his brother Paul and five other associates bought their first plane, and in 1928, they began to use that plane to provide air passenger service between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. During the next 15 years, the airline expanded to provide service north to Chicago, via Kansas City and St. Louis, and later south into Texas. The carrier established its operations and maintenance base at Love Field in Dallas but kept its administrative headquarters in Oklahoma City until 1942. Braniff died Jan. 10, 1954, at 70 in Shreveport, Louisiana, as a passenger in a crash of a privately-owned, amphibious plane as he and others returned from a duck hunt. There were no survivors.
D.W. Hogan, foundation vice president
W.M. Longmire, advisory board secretary
Ned Holman, advisory board member
Daniel Wise Hogan arrived in Oklahoma City in 1889 and founded the First National Bank of Yukon. In 1911, he became president of Farmer’s National Bank, a forerunner of City National Bank and Trust Co. of Oklahoma City, and he helped to lead City National for the next 60 years, becoming its board chairman in 1955. He led a citizens advisory committee in 1911 that oversaw construction of Oklahoma City’s first water treatment plant, and also headed a committee that oversaw the first public housing construction in the community. Hogan was an avid sportsman and rode horses until he was more than 90 years old, and was a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. When he died in 1972 at 104, his banking career had spanned eight decades.
W.M. Longmire came to Oklahoma in 1903 when he opened a furniture store in Shawnee. In 1910, he became partners with J.F. Harbour, and together, they bought the Enders Co. in Oklahoma City, and moved the retailer to its location it would become wellknown for at 420 W Main in 1925. Longmire spent the next 20 years as the company’s president and general manager, before selling his operating interests in the firm. He remained involved, though, by continuing to own the company’s extensive properties. Besides his involvement with the chamber, Longmire also was an active member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, a Mason, belonged to various clubs and was an enthusiastic golfer. He died in 1953 at 83.
Ned Holman arrived in Oklahoma in 1910 to buy controlling interests in the Guthrie National Bank and the Bank of Indian Territory. During the next two decades, he expanded
Harvey Everest, foundation secretary-treasurer
Harvey Everest came to Oklahoma City with his parents in 1899 and started his first business venture at 17, turning it
E.K. Gaylord, advisory board chairman
E.K. Gaylord bought into The Oklahoman in 1903, and after becoming its president and majority owner, he grew it into a media powerhouse while pioneering broadcast journalism through radio and later television. Under Gaylord’s leadership, the paper backed Oklahoma’s statehood and helped bring the Capitol to Oklahoma City. Through his work with the chamber and other philanthropic endeavors, he continued to grow the city by bringing in jobs, tirelessly working to secure future water sources and to reform the city’s government. In 1959, the U.S. Air Force honored Gaylord for his leadership in bringing an air depot to the community by giving him an Exceptional Service Award. “Mr. Gaylord’s patriotic endeavors have materially improved the military-civilian rela-
T.E. Braniff, advisory board member
Tom Braniff came to Oklahoma City in 1901 to work with his father in the insurance business. In 1902, he formed another insurance company with a partner and
dozen other laundries in 1912, naming it the Oklahoma Operating Co. As its president, Barnett led it through a decades-long drive to grow it into a community powerhouse that established a separate-standing corporate headquarters and a huge garage to service its fleet of delivery trucks in 1934. Two years later, one of the largest fur storage vaults in the Southwest was acquired by the firm. Besides serving in the Chamber, Barnett also was a director for Liberty National Bank, was a member of the Research Institute and belonged to numerous clubs and organizations. He and other owners of the Oklahoma Operating Co. sold the firm to new owners in May 1946, but Barnett continued to call Oklahoma City his home until he died in 1949. W.C. Dance, advisory board member
W.C. Dance was a member of the Chamber when he was appointed to the Industries Foundation as an advisory board member in 1940. He left Oklahoma City in 1941 to move to Ohio.
L.A. Macklanburg, advisory board member
L.A. Macklanburg, known as Lou, a Blackwell High School graduate, came to Oklahoma City in 1905 as a traveling salesman. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War I, he returned to Oklahoma City and, while building his home, came up with the idea to create a company to produce weather stripping and other materials. Within a decade, his company, MacklanburgDuncan, employed 100 workers and had an international market for its products. As time went on, the company became one of the community’s biggest private employers. During World War II, it produced aluminum and plastic aircraft parts for the military, and Macklanburg served on the War Production Board, consulting on rolled metals. Macklanburg retired from his company in 1959. He died in 1965 at 76. Ben Barnett, advisory board member
After Ben Barnett arrived in Oklahoma City in 1909 and founded the White Swan laundry, he and others combined it with more than a half
W.E. Hightower, advisory board member
Bill Hightower, the son of Altus co-founder and banker C.C. Hightower, died in 1944 at 51 after leading a remarkable life. He was an AllAmerican quarterback at Northwestern University, volunteered on the Western Front before the U.S. entered World War I, then served in the U.S. Navy during the war. He returned to Oklahoma City to join American National Bank and continued to work in that industry for the next 20-plus years as the bank continued to grow through mergers and other activities. In January 1944, he became president of the First National Bank and Trust Co. Hightower was the Chamber’s chairman in 1941 and 1942 and had as much to do with bringing the Douglas aircraft plant to eastern Oklahoma City as anyone else. But he died in February 1944 in a crash of a private plane in West Virginia that also killed his daughter, the pilot and his wife, and a co-pilot.
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
Sooner
Tinker (Main) Gate
Eaker Gate
Glenwood Addition
Douglas
SE 29
Midwest City
Midwest Blvd
40
Air Depot
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
Turnbull Gate Hruskocy Gate
40
Del City Vance Gate Lancer Gate
SE 44 SE 44
Liberator Gate
Hope Gate
Oklahoma City SE 59
TINKER
Gott Gate
Marauder Gate
AIR FORCE BASE Tinker Aerospace Complex (Former GM plant)
SE 74
240 240
SE 59
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‘His legacy lives on in Midwest City’ OKC suburb’s founder was a deal maker BY RICHARD MIZE Real Estate Editor rmize@oklahoman.com
MIDWEST CITY —
“Visionary, newspaperman, real estate developer, homebuilder, city founder and political candidate” describe W.P. “Bill” Atkinson, a recent biography asserts — but “scrambler,” and “deal maker” help complete the picture. When it comes to founding Midwest City, literally across the street from what would become Tinker Air Force Base, it’s not just that he was in the right place at the right time.
W.P. “Bill” Atkinson
Atkinson, at 35, took stealthy steps — during a process that was itself secretive — to make sure he was in the right place at the right time. The place: North of SE 29, about 10 miles east and south of downtown Oklahoma City. The time: spring 1941, with war raging in Europe and the site for a new U.S. Army air depot all but selected — but known only to a select few. Timing would be important, too. On March 11, Congress approved the LendLease Act authorizing the lease or exchange of arms to “any country whose defense the president deems vital to the defense of the United States.” On April 8, Washington announced the installation, to be named Midwest Air Depot, would be on — an initial — 1,500 acres, to employ 3,500 people, on the south side of SE 29 just 10 miles east and south of Oklahoma City. In that meantime, “There was a mad scramble by real estate developers to acquire the land surrounding the site in anticipation of housing needs of a new work force,” James L. Crowder Jr., chief of the Office of History, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, wrote in the fall, 1992, issue of The Chronicles of Oklahoma. “The most successful developer was W.P. ‘Bill’ Atkinson, the ‘Father of Midwest City.’” Crowder wrote a succinct account of Atkinson’s insight, acumen and determination to ride the waves of prosperity about to rise across the pastures and prairie of eastern Oklahoma County. Here is Crowder’s report, from the article, “’More Valuable than Oil’: The Establishment and Development of Tinker Air Force Base, 19401949,” in the state’s historical quarterly: “Atkinson, a young Oklahoma City homebuilder, discovered that the real power source in all important policy making decisions in the city was Oklahoma publisher
E.K. Gaylord. With purpose and determination Atkinson worked his way into Gaylord’s inner circle at the (Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce) and by his own admission became one of ‘Mr. Gaylord’s fair-haired boys.’ Atkinson knew that if the war department did choose Oklahoma City for a repair depot, their requirements stipulated that the facility be located within ten miles of a major city, near a railroad, at least four miles from any oil field, and contain several thousand acres of level ground. “He worked day and night studying map after map to determine the probably site of the new depot. There were several possibilities, but one location seemed to hold all the pieces of the puzzle. Atkinson jumped in his car and drove out on Southeast Twenty-ninth Street. About nine miles from the center of town he found that no one who owned land on the south side of the street would talk to him about selling. In fact, their mannerisms suggested that perhaps options on their land had already been taken and they were told not to say anything. In contrast, landowners on the north side of Twenty-ninth acted perfectly normal and were willing to haggle on a price. “Feeling confident that he had discovered the exact site, Atkinson bought two farms totaling 310 acres north of Southeast Twenty-ninth. The cost for both was approximately $46,500. He purchased one from Joe Chesser and the other from Frank Trosper, an eighty-niner who proudly displayed the aged mule he had used in the land run fifty-two years earlier. Trosper, a retired banker, knew what Atkinson was speculating on and after the contract was signed told him nobody in his right mind would buy a house that far from town. “Apparently the chamber staff and leaders of the Oklahoma Industries Foundation were too focused on making sure the air depot would be placed in Oklahoma City to be concerned with the secondary need for nearby housing. When Gaylord finally learned that someone had purchased the land north of the depot site, he editorialized in strong language that the unknown land speculator could sabotage the entire depot project before it could get off the ground. Once Gaylord learned who the culprit was, Atkinson became persona non grata in perpetuity. “Before anyone knew he purchased the land, Atkinson flew to Washington, D.C., to talk with war department officials on their future plans for any surrounding land. He said he was ushered into a room “that contained more colonels and generals than I had ever seen.” Replacing his anxiety with aplomb, Atkinson told the group that he knew he was just a solitary homebuilder and they represented the United States government. He also knew that if they wanted the land north of Southeast Twenty-ninth Street they could get it and so he displayed his adept deference by say-
In this 1952 photo, W.P. “Bill” Atkinson, right, founder of Midwest City and president of the National Association of Home Builders in 1951, shows W.T. Lorman, left, and Glenn E. Breeding the first house he built in Midwest City, in 1942. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTOS]
ing, “The land is yours if you need it. If you don’t, what can I do to help support the new depot?” The officers accepted his sincerity and told him he need not worry about any land restrictions or condemnation proceedings. They did reveal that the Oklahoma City depot would grow to be the largest in the world and urged him to build a complete new city at the front gate. Before Atkinson left Washington, he contracted one of the master planners in the nation, Steward Mott, to draw plans for a model city.” Atkinson was born Nov. 9, 1906, in Carthage, Texas, to Paul Lee and Maggie Tiller Atkinson. He moved to Oklahoma with his wife, Rubye, in 1928. He died on March 20, 1999, at age 92. His obituary in The Oklahoman noted the accomplishments of a long life: • In 1962, he ran as the Democratic nominee for governor, losing to Henry Bellmon. • A year later, Atkinson opened The Oklahoma Journal, which he published until 1979. It was the former journalism professor’s second newspaper. Atkinson ran a weekly newspaper, The Oklahoma City Star, in 1928, the year he moved to Oklahoma from Texas. • He was the head of the journalism department at Oklahoma City University from 1934-38. • Atkinson also developed Quail Springs Office Park in northwest Oklahoma City, and helped create Rose State College and donated land for Midwest City Memorial Hospital. •He was presented with the University of Oklahoma’s Distinguished Service Citation in 1985. In 1995, Atkinson was inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame. He was president of the National Association of Home Builders in 1951. Family friendly But in Midwest City, he is remembered as the founder. Atkinson’s daughter, Eugenia Atkinson Davis, recalled her father “as someone who enjoyed building homes but also envisioned building a community,” Kay Hunt, Midwest City’s public relations specialist, wrote in a recent article. “The original square mile was arranged as a family-friendly community, complete with shopping centers, churches, parks and schools. He wanted Midwest City to be a community where families could enjoy a good life, all the while supporting
In this 1953 photo, Howard Thornton enjoys the model train set-up in the hobby room of his new house at 2936 Bella Vista n Midwest City’s Ridgecrest addition, developed by W.P. “Bill” Atkinson.
the ongoing work at the base,” Davis said in the article. Hunt reported further: “Atkinson was a thematic developer and builder. In development of the original mile, the streets were alphabetically named for aircraft companies and military officers, such as Boeing, Lockheed, Key and Gruman. “In the development of the second phase of the original mile, the streets were named for trees and shrubs. When a family purchased one of the homes, Atkinson gave them a tree or shrub that corresponded to the name of their street.” His genius for deal making extended to individual homebuyers, Hunt wrote. “When Atkinson began developing the Ridgecrest addition in the 1950s, each home came with a Shetland pony for the backyard. That was a great marketing tool to sell the homes because they included a larger yard and footprint than those in the original mile and were more expensive. “Legend says that when the mom and dad were looking through the homes, Atkinson would take the kids to the backyard to show them the pony. At that point the children were sold on the home, and the parents couldn’t say no. “For the families that did not want a pony in their yards, Atkinson built a pony barn on his property just north of the Ridgecrest addition. On Sunday afternoons, the community was invited to the property, and the kids would ride their Shetland ponies while the adults would enjoy the company of their neighbors.”
In this 1963 photo, Ned Shepler, left, chats with Walter Harrison and W.P. “Bill” Atkinson, Midwest City founder and leading state Democrat, before Atkinson is inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
Supporting Tinker For the central Oklahoma homebuilding industry, Atkinson’s legacy is that of a leader among leaders. On Feb. 3, 1943, from his office on the 18th floor of the Petroleum Building downtown, Atkinson could probably see what then was called Tinker Field and the pasture land soon becoming Midwest City, 10 miles away. It was a preliminary meeting, to gauge interest in a builders association. “It was attended by some 23 builders. Great interest was manifest and it was decided at that meeting that an organization of home builders was necessary and would be welcomed by all those present,” meeting minutes reveal. “This meeting received a report from W.P. ‘Bill’ Atkinson on current developments within Midwest City, and also a report from Ben C. Wileman in connection with information he received from a recent trip to Washington.” The Oklahoma Home Builders Association was founded to meet the explosion in housing need.
Atkinson incorporated Midwest City on March 11 that year. Wileman would build about 3,000 homes in his career. Atkinson and his wife built their own home at Midwest Boulevard and NE 10. “The original ‘cabin’ was built as the Tinker Club House for senior officials and their families to enjoy the country life for a day. The home still stands as the Atkinson Heritage Museum and is often used for community events and activities,” Hunt recounted. “Atkinson’s wish was to donate the home as a living legacy of Midwest City and its connection to Tinker Air Force Base. It contains the original family furnishings and early photos and memorabilia. “His legacy lives on in Midwest City. His original developments still stand and are home to thousands of residents. His desire for the city to be a strong support to Tinker Air Force has stood the test of time. Every year, the city and the Chamber of Commerce engage in activities and endeavors with the base, making it a strong public-private partnerships.”
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The city of Midwest City hosts its new family-friendly event, Mid-America Street Fest at Charles J. Johnson Central Park in Town Center Plaza, SE 29 and Mid-America Boulevard. The event featured live entertainment, cooking challenges, children’s activities, food, farmers market, exhibits, hands-on activities and interaction with firefighters and police officers and much more. [PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES]
Midwest City’s mission of support rolls on BY KAY HUNT For The Oklahoman
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ince the development of Midwest City was to be a support community to Midwest Air Depot, later Tinker Air Force Base, it was important that W.P. “Bill” Atkinson begin the recruitment of businesses and services for thousands of new residents immediately. National news coverage about the new base was extensive, and it encouraged people to move to Midwest City and the area. Atkinson, a newspaperman, real estate developer and homebuilder, began building and selling homes near Taft Junior High
School, and after hearing of the news of the proposed air depot, he began to research possible locations for residential and commercial development. In 1943, Atkinson managed to secure all 700 building permits allocated to this area of the Oklahoma County region, only to have all worked stalled because of heavy rains. After the rains stopped and the process of making concrete resumed, Atkinson and his brother, H.B. Atkinson, began working on a shopping center called Atkinson Plaza, which was directly north of the base, on SE 29. The plan for the Atkinson Plaza was to provide amenities for suburban
life and to serve all those working on the base. The plaza, which was planned to sit on 22.1 acres, would eventually consist of an East Plaza and a West Plaza. It was built in two stages, with both designed in a semicircular configuration. Stage 1 consisted of eight stores and services and was completed in the summer of 1943. Atkinson’s daughter, Eugenia Atkinson Davis, remembers her father as someone who enjoyed building homes but also envisioned building a community. “The original square mile was arranged as a family-friendly community, complete with shopping centers,
churches, parks and schools. He wanted Midwest City to be a community where families could enjoy a good life, all the while supporting the ongoing work at the base," Davis said. Original tenants to the West Plaza included: American State Bank, Bomber Inn Cafe, Conrad-Marr Drug Co., Midwest City Beauty & Barber Shop, Bill’s Fine Pastries, Mills Cleaners, TG&Y and a Humpty Dumpty Supermarket. The iconic Skytrain Theatre showed its first feature film in November 1944 and remained in operation for many years. It was named after the C-47 aircraft, which was nicknamed the Sky-
train. There were 5,000 C-47s built at Tinker. The East Plaza soon followed the development of the West Plaza. The East Plaza was the site for the U.S. Post Office, Olive Dyer Dress Shop, Midwest Furniture, Phillips 66 Super Service, Tubb Rexall Drug, C.R. Anthony, Buster Brown Shoes and Stockton’s Dry Goods. By late 1944, there were 18 stores and services in operation in the Atkinson Plaza. Because churches were very important to a community, the Wickline United Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church were both built in the Original Mile, in 1943 and 1944, respectfully. Both
churches remain active in the community today. The retail offerings, as well as service businesses, continued to grow throughout the years. But in June 2003, Midwest City took the next step in providing a fresh look for retail as the Town Center Plaza development began along SE 29. This new shopping and dining development replaced the city’s World War II vintage shopping center. Today, the Town Center Plaza is a thriving development that not only provides services to residents, but continues the mission of the community to serve as a support to Tinker Air Force Base.
‘Planes were an important part of growing up’ Former residents have fond memories from living in Glenwood neighborhood BY MELISSA HOWELL Staff Writer mhowell@oklahoman.com
Growing up in the shadow of lumbering cargo planes and supersonic jets makes for an atypical childhood, but one that many from the Midwest City area remember as almost exciting. For Jerry L. Stasyszen, 59, who lived in the Glenwood neighborhood just north of the Tinker Air Force Base runway, the proximity of the planes left him with a sense of exhilaration. “We used to crawl up on my roof and watch the airplanes go over — the jets — it was like you could reach out and touch them,” he said. “It was extremely loud. We were right under the flight path on E Indian Drive.” Stasyszen, who now lives in Oklahoma City, grew up in the neighborhood and attended Glenwood Elementary until his fifth-grade year in 1968. He remembers the cohesiveness of the families who lived in Glenwood. “It was a close-knit neighborhood,” he said. “Growing up around
the base, you grew up wanting to join the Air Force because of all the airplanes that flew over. I got to watch the conversion to jet aircraft. My next-door neighbor was a sergeant. He would take us there and go horseback riding. “I joined the Civil Air Patrol and got an ID card to go on base. I’d go around acting like I was going to be a pilot. It had a big influence on us as far as what we wanted to do with our lives,” he said. Gloria Bostwick Warlick, 68, of Oklahoma City, remembers the neighborhood as a kind of special club where most of the parents worked at Tinker and all the children knew one another. “I have nothing but fond memories,” said Warlick, who lived in the neighborhood and attended Glenwood Elementary until she completed sixth grade in 1962. “Glenwood was a great school. There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood. Most of the kids who went to Glenwood, their parents worked at Tinker. The planes were an important part of growing up. We could identify just about
A 1982 aerial view of the Glenwood subdivision illustrates its close proximity to the end of the runway at Tinker Air Force Base. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTO]
every plane that went over.” Of course, every club has its rules, and Glenwood was no exception. “We were used to sonic booms and loud noises. The planes were so low when they came over. When my dad was working on the roof, he would have to lie down
(if a plane came over),” Warlick said. “I actually had the air police come and make me take down my kite because they said it could be sucked up into a jet engine. We just got used to it.” The commonality of those early experiences has led to a lifetime bond with others from Glen-
wood, Warlick said. “I’ve had lasting friendships,” she said. “My friends then are still my friends now.” Deemed unsafe because of numerous plane crashes that hit the neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s, Oklahoma County eventually purchased the entirety
of the Glenwood subdivision from individual homeowners in the early 1970s. Glenwood Elementary was shut down, and 835 homes were moved, according to the city of Midwest City website. The area currently is fenced off and used for training by Tinker Air Force Base.
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This is a 2002 aerial photo of Tinker Air Force Base. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTO]
A look back at notable Tinker leaders Here’s a look back at some notable leaders from the past 75 years at Tinker Air Force Base.
Lt. Col. William R. Turnbull (Jan. 15, 1942 to April 4, 1943)
Lt. Col. William R. Turnbull was the base’s first commander. On Jan. 15, 1942, Col. Turnbull issued General Order No. 1 marking the establishment of the Midwest Air Depot. Because the installation was far from completion, operations began in downtown Oklahoma City, first in the Commerce Exchange Building and later in the Bass Building. As February began, Turnbull announced that the new air repair center would be known as the Oklahoma City Air Depot. On March 1, 1942, the War Department officially activated the airfield. Hiring new workers accelerated as the depot competed with the Douglas Aircraft Plant going up east of the runway. When he left, the base had grown to 22,000 military and civilian workers and Douglas was producing cargo planes in a new factory, now Building 3001. Turnbull was commander when the base became Tinker Field on Oct. 14, 1942. Though it’s no longer used, Tinker’s Gate 3 — off of SE 29 — is named for Turnbull.
jet engine and became a P-80 fighter repair base. It was redesignated the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area. In the same year, the base was the scene of a major fire in which 10 people died. Under Borum, Tinker also became a B-36 bomber repair center, was assigned to repair P-84 Thunderjet fighters and began the buildup for the Korean War. Borum was the first Tinker commander to stay in Oklahoma City after retiring. He died in 1978.
A member of the Army board that selected the site for Tinker, Maj. Gen. Fred S. Borum also was its longest commander. He presided over the postwar conversion of the base to a peacetime mission. Tinker prepared B-29s for the 1946 Pacific atomic bomb tests, received its first
cation and electronic system, and Tinker was named logistics manager of the A-7 attack plane. Tinker employment reached an all-time high under his command. McNickle returned to Oklahoma City after he retired in 1973. He died in 1987.
Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Gerrity (Aug. 15, 1957 to July 21, 1960)
Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Gerrity assumed command of the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area at Tinker Air Force Base on Aug. 15, 1957. Commander during construction of a new base hospital, Gerrity headed modification of B-47 bombers. He commanded as the base modified its first B-52 and worked on its last KC-97 pistonengined tanker. Tinker began preparing B-52s to carry the Hound Dog missile and the first B-52G arrived, the only model of the bomber that flies to the center for maintenance today. Gerrity was the first former Tinker commander to rise to fourstar rank and later, in August 1967, became commander of the Air Force Logistics Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He died on Feb. 24, 1968. Tinker’s main base gym is named for Gen. Gerrity. Maj. Gen. Melvin F. McNickle (Jan. 20, 1964 to July 4, 1968)
Maj. Gen. Fred S. Borum (July 15, 1945 to April 30, 1954)
McNickle
Maj. Gen. Melvin F. McNickle and his brother, Marvin, were the Air Force’s twin generals. Under Gen. McNickle, the first C-141 in the Air Force was delivered from the Lockheed factory to Tinker. The Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area was put in charge of the North American Air Defense Cheyenne Mountain communi-
Lt. Gen. Richard A. Burpee (Aug. 24, 1983 to Dec. 20, 1985)
Retired Lt. Gen. Richard A. Burpee has been credited for playing a crucial role in saving the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center when the Base Closure and Realignment Commission targeted Tinker in 1993, 1995 and 2005. After he retired, Burpee remained involved in promoting aviation and aerospace with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and the University of Central Oklahoma.
Robert J. Conner (Aug. 2, 2005 to May 30, 2007)
In his more than 32 years of government service, Robert J. Conner went from being a management trainee to the first-ever civilian director of the largest air logistics center in the Air Force. He became director of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center on Aug. 2, 2005, and to date is the only civilian to hold that position. Conner moved to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center in 1993 where he was director of
Commodities Management, the comptroller and the director of Logistics Management. Before his assignment as the OC-ALC director, he was executive director for the Air Force Materiel Command, WrightPatterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Conner retired on May 30, 2007. Maj. Gen. Terry L. Gabreski (Dec. 1, 2003 to Aug. 2, 2005)
Maj. Gen. Terry L. Gabreski was the first woman to lead the Okla-
Gabreski
homa City Air Logistics Center when she took command in 2003. She had one other assignment at Tinker as director of Technology and Industrial
Support with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center from June 1995 to April 1997. She was promoted to lieutenant general on Aug. 1, 2005, making her the highestranking female general in the Air Force at the time. After she left the OC-ALC, she became the Air Force Materiel Command vice commander. She retired from active duty in 2010. Sources: Tinker Air Force Base and The Oklahoman Archives
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‘Eyes in the sky’ AWACS planes still soar high over Oklahoma BY BRIANNA BAILEY Staff Writer bbailey@oklahoman.com
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t 32,000 feet in the air, the rotating radar disk on top of one of Tinker Air Force Base’s Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS planes moans and wails. “It can be interesting hearing her sing to you for nine or 10 hours,” AWACS pilot Capt. Tommy “Pops” Reagan said. The 30-foot-wide disk turns at a speed of about six revolutions per minute and provides the crew with a continuous serenade during sorties. The bulk of the U.S. Air Force’s 33 Boeing E-3 Sentries are housed at Tinker Air Force Base — about 27 planes total. The planes and their rotating black radar disks are a common sight in the sky over the Oklahoma City metro area. The AWACS program celebrates its 40th anniversary at Tinker Air Force Base this year, and the same aircraft that went into service at Tinker in March 1977 are still flying. With its distinctive rotating radar dome, the E-3 Sentry, more commonly known as AWACS, surveils the land, air and water, far beyond the U.S. borders. The planes are designed to provide information on the location and movements of enemy forces and direct fighter jets in aerial warfare. The radar has a range of more than 250 miles. AWACS stands for Airborne Warning and Control System, and the odd-shaped planes are known as the “eyes in the sky” for U.S. and NATO forces. While AWACS uses the latest radar software, not much else has changed on board the
Boeing E-3 Sentry in the 552 Flight Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTOS BY GREG SINGLETON, THE OKLAHOMAN]
My parents were both on board this plane. I knew when I was a kid that this is what I wanted to do. Capt. Gabriel Gricol
aircraft over the years. “I think it shows how well these aircraft were designed that they are still in service,” Senior Airman Shayan Khan said. Stepping onto the aircraft is a bit like walking into the 1970s, with gas masks that look like something a touch more primitive than those in the 1986 movie “Top Gun.” There’s also a coat rack at one end of the plane with SEE AWACS, 12T
Sr. Airman Shayan Khan on a Boeing E-3 Sentry in the 552 Flight Control Wing.
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An E-6 Mercury at night at Tinker Air Force Base. The plane is a critical communications component in a time of war. [PHOTO PROVIDED]
‘Sailors are pretty well-rounded’ Navy aircraft at Tinker play a key role in nuclear war strategy
Sometimes when you talk to someone and say you’re at Tinker, most people associate the Navy with ships and the ocean, but they don’t realize that’s only part of it.”
BY MATT PATTERSON Staff Writer mpatterson@oklahoman.com
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irplanes often are given catchy names that give some clue about their capabilities. The heavily armed B-17 was the Flying Fortress, the close-attack A-10 is the Warthog and the highly maneuverable F-16, the Falcon. Officially, the Navy's E-6, is the Mercury. But it's the plane's nickname, "The Doomsday Plane," that hints at its more ominous mission. The aircraft, based at Tinker Air Force Base, provides provide a secure communications link that allows the nation's top civilian leadership to relay instructions to the Navy's fleet of ballistic missile submarines in the event of nuclear war. The planes also
Cody Boyd, mass communication specialist 1st class
An E-6 Mercury is parked at Tinker Air Force Base. There are 1,300 Navy personnel at the base who work on the plane and its mission. [PHOTO PROVIDED]
serve as backups to four other aircraft that serve as survivable airborne command posts from which the commander in chief and other civilian leadership can control the nuclear arsenal. “Our mission allows the president and
secretary of defense to have direct command and control capability of America’s strategic forces, including ballistic missile submarines and strategic bombers,” said Cody Boyd, a mass communication specialist 1st class.
About 1,300 Navy personnel are part of Strategic Communications Wing 1 and Task Force 124 at Tinker, responsible for training, manning and equipping the E-6. “Sometimes when you talk to someone and say
you’re at Tinker, most people associate the Navy with ships and the ocean, but they don’t realize that’s only part of it,” Boyd said. The planes are built on Boeing 707 platforms. The air frames may seem ancient, but the technology inside of them is not. The planes are different from the AWACS planes that operate from Tinker. Rather than a giant rotating dome, E-6s are easy to pick out because of their white color and large bubble on their fuselage. The E-6 can travel
about 675 miles mph and has a range of 5,500 nautical miles. Each costs about $141 million and can fly as high as 40,000 feet. The aircraft carries a crew of 14 including three pilots, two flight officers, and nine enlisted men. In its "battlestaff" configuration that number can increase to up to 23 crew. The 1,300 Navy personnel at Tinker come from all walks of life and all parts of the country. “Some will be stationed here for several years before they leave and go to other commands,” Boyd said. “Those that work with the E-6 directly generally stay a little longer. It’s a pretty close-knit group.” And they perform a variety of tasks. “We have sailors who do maintenance on aircraft and others who are part of security forces,” Boyd said. “We have some that deal with logistics and supply and others that deal with operations. It’s a lot of work, and all of the sailors are pretty wellrounded in their abilities.”
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wooden hangers — the crew said nobody uses it, and they don’t really understand why it’s there. A vintage-looking “No Smoking” sign graces the lavatory door. Capt. Gabriel Gricol’s mother and father are also both Air Force veterans and both worked on the crew of AWACS planes during their military careers. “My parents were both on board this plane,” Gricol said, pointing at the cabin floor. “I knew when I was a kid that this is what I wanted to do.” In the cockpit, the four-man flight crew uses analog flight instruments, known as “steam gauges,” to pilot the four-turbofan jet engine aircraft. “I actually like flying using the steam gauges,” said Reagan, who is a third-generation Air Force pilot. “I think it makes you a better pilot.”
Boeing E-3 Sentry in the 552 Flight Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTOS BY GREG SINGLETON, THE OKLAHOMAN]
There’s no microwave on board, but the crew can heat leftovers and cans of soup — as long as the labels have been removed — in an antiquated-looking metal oven in a small galley area. The crew can even use the oven to bake cookies. “It makes it smell great in here,” Gricol said. Near the oven, two rows of triple-decker bunks provide a place
for crew to rest during extended missions. The Air Force won’t reveal exactly how long the E-3 Sentry can stay airborne or its range. What the military will say is that the planes can stay in the air for more than eight hours without refueling and also have the capability for in-air refueling. Forty years after its introduction, the
Capt. Tommy Reagan, left, and 1st Lt. Matthew Kogut in the cockpit of an E-3 Sentry in the 552 Flight Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base.
AWACS remains the leading battle command and control aircraft in the world. The aircraft still do everything from coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard to locate drug smugglers in the Caribbean to providing surveillance for the 13-year-long combat mission Operation Enduring Freedom
in Afghanistan, which ended in 2014. “A phrase that we use a lot is, ‘God’s eye view,’” said crew member 1st Lt. Kevin Wise, whose job is to communicate to other planes information the AWACS has gathered. “A fighter pilot has a limited view from the cockpit, and I help them see what we can see.”
A phrase that we use a lot is, ‘God’s eye view,’ A fighter pilot has a limited view from the cockpit, and I help them see what we can see. 1st Lt. Kevin Wise
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‘It was a magnificent effort’ Oklahomans rose to challenge — twice — to save Building 3001 BY JACK MONEY Business Writer jmoney@oklahoman.com
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he “Oklahoma Standard” will forever be tied to the community’s response to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. But when considering the history of Tinker Air Force Base’s Building 3001, you can see that same determination and resolve. You could see it when ground was broken to build the $40 millionplus building in July 1942 as a production plant for the Douglas Aircraft Co., its original owner. And you could see it through workers’ efforts to turn out completed C-47 Skytrains — military transport planes — in March 1943. “The fact we have production ready for the Army before the plant is wholly constructed is a real tribute to the achievements and spirit ... of the employees whose work made this record possible,” Plant Manager C.C. Pearson said in 1943. “Many of them (the employees) are new to the aircraft industry, but they are not new in the American determination to get the job done.” Throughout the war, those employees continued to get that job done,
The fire started when a welder cutting a drain pipe on the roof ignited insulation. Here, workers attempt to cut a trench into the roof to stop the blaze its first day. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY RETIRED LT. GEN. RICHARD BURPEE]
KC-135s aircraft are maintained in Building 3001 in the late 1950s. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
producing 5,355 C-47 aircraft — 13 a day at its peak, while the plant was running around the clock daily, employing 23,000 people. In August 1945, after the end of the war, the plant geared down, but not before completing 5,354 C-47s, 400 C-54s and 900 A-26s. In June 1945, the Oklahoma City Air Technical Service Command took over the plant, making it a part of the military’s operation.
From pistons to jets Building 3001 at Oklahoma City’s Tinker Field took in military aircraft and engines quickly. A workhorse engine for various Air Force aircraft was the R3550, and work started on the 38,635th such engine overhauled at the base in 1952. In all, the depot, whose name would change in 1946 to the Oklahoma City Air Material Area, worked on 2,684 B-29s. It also worked on C-54
cargo planes. In March, 1947, the depot began to overhaul jet engines that were produced by General Motors’ Allison Division. In 1951, workers began to modify B-29, B-50 and B-36 bombers to carry nuclear weapons, and, in 1953, it began to prepare to overhaul and maintain the B-47 Stratojet bomber. Tinker Air Force Base lengthened and strengthened its northsouth runway to accommodate B-52 bombers and KC-135 refueling aircraft in September 1954. KC-135s were regularly worked on in Building 3001. F-4 Phantoms — twoseat jet fighter/interceptor/attack bombers — began arriving at Tinker in 1965 for modifications in Building 3001. And in 1972, the first of an eventual 1,498 A-7 “Corsair II” jet attack aircraft arrived for overhauls. Many were done at Tinker’s Building 3001. The first E-3 AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft arrived at Tinker in March 1977, its main operating base and maintenance and repair facility. B-1 bombers began arriving for maintenance, too, as did other aircraft of varying types. As the depot operated, the engines and aircraft passing through Building 3001 continued to change according to the military’s maintenance needs. A fire in Building 3001 SEE 3001, 14T
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Workers use a cutting machine in an attempt to create a fire break to slow down flames at Tinker Air Force Base’s Building 3001 in 1984. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY RETIRED LT. GEN. RICHARD BURPEE]
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in 1984 nearly put the operation out of business, permanently. But once again, Oklahomans rose to the challenge. Emergency response Tinker’s Building 3001 mostly was empty on Monday, Nov. 12, 1984, since Veterans Day was being observed. But, some work was going on, as private contractors were working on the north end of the building’s roof. A welder cutting through a drain pipe ignited a fire that burned for 40 hours, consumed 652,000 square feet of roof and destroyed large sections of the 2.1 million square-foot building before firefighters from the base and 23 communities could extinguish the blaze. The flames burrowed into a hard-to-reach area of insulation in the roof’s thick interior, resisting firefighters’ strategies to check its spread. The area of destruction was so great, its extent was reported in acres, like a prairie fire. Firefighters poured an estimated 15 million gallons of water onto the roof and also ripped it up to create several fire breaks in an attempt to block the fire’s spread.
The northeast corner of Building 3001 burns in 1984. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
Major Gen. Richard Burpee, right, is briefed along with another Air Force Officer by firefighters about the ongoing fire at Tinker Air Force Base in 1984. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY RETIRED LT. GEN. RICHARD BURPEE]
At the battle’s height, they used bucket-carrying helicopters to pull water from Lake Stanley Draper to bombard the flames. Inside, they sprayed water onto the roof’s underside, and also put out small fires started by hot tar dripping from openings onto equipment below. Once the fire was out, then-U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard Burpee, the commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, summoned thousands of Building 3001’s civilian workers to a meeting at an area church to prepare them for what they would find when they returned to the structure.
The first workers reentered its north end to find its shop area was a sodden mess of rusting machinery, covered with melted tar. The floor was flooded with water that had been poured onto the building’s roof, and rain and snow that moved in after the fire hadn’t helped. The workers, working in white coveralls, boots and other safety gear, quickly went to work on seven-day-a-week schedules, around the clock. Aircraft that had been getting repaired in the building’s south end were moved out and replaced by damaged equipment and parts that workers methodi-
C-54 aircraft undergo maintenance in Building 3001 at Tinker in the mid-1940s. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
cally cleaned. Temporary hangars were brought in and set up just outside the building to store engine and aircraft parts, and workers built a temporary engine overhaul shop. Because Building 3001’s cleaning vats were out of commission, engine parts were sent to get cleaned at the closest nearby air logistics center near San Antonio, Texas. Burpee also sent three dozen workers to make sure that process went smoothly. Less than two weeks after the fire, an engine repair team working inside the building’s south end produced its first rebuilt jet engine
for an F-111 supersonic, medium-range attack aircraft stationed in Europe. Other workers stabilized the tall brick walls of the building’s north end so that demolition and reconstruction of the damaged portions of the giant building could begin. While that was going on, Burpee and other logistics center leaders enlisted the help of engineers from the University of Oklahoma to rethink the center’s operations inside the building, and toured some of the nation’s best jet engine manufacturing plants to get ideas. When they started
rebuilding the center’s jet engine shops in Building 3001’s north end six months later, they employed modular designs where mechanics could pull the parts they needed. Before the fire, they had to wait for their delivery on what had been a 17-mile-long conveyor that circulated materials throughout the facility. In an article Burpee composed for the base’s paper, he wrote the final cost to completely restore the building was $154 million, and that the Air Force had considered closing the depot in the fire’s aftermath. The only reasons that didn’t happen, he wrote, was because of the logistic center team’s heroic efforts, plus the Oklahoma congressional delegation’s efforts to appropriate the needed money. “You answered the challenge,” Burpee wrote. “The gigantic cleanup and start up of production will always be remembered as a proud moment for the United States Air Force.” Recently, when Burpee was asked about those times, he said: “It was a magnificent effort. You never saw people work harder in your life.”
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‘It gets the airplanes back into the field’ Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex continues to meet warfighters’ needs BY JACK MONEY Business Writer jmoney@oklahoman.com
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he Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base is one of the largest units in the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command. The complex performs programmed depot maintenance on the C/ KC-135, B-1B, B-52 and E-3 aircraft. It also maintains U.S. Navy E-6 aircraft, and maintains, repairs and overhauls F100, F101, F108, F110, F117, F118, F119 and TF33 engines for the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Navy and foreign military customers. Additionally, the complex maintains, repairs and overhauls various Air Force and Navy airborne accessory components, and develops and sustains a diverse portfolio of operational flight programs, test program sets, automatic test equipment and industrial automation software. The complex employs more than 9,400 military and civilian personnel who work in 63 buildings covering 8.2 million square feet of industrial floor space. For the nation’s warfighters, logistics complexes play vital roles in supporting them as they pursue their missions. Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. General David Gillett and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Donald
‘Ghost Rider’ spent three days at the Tinker Air Force Base Air Logistics Complex’s paint shop before getting its signature nose art and returning to the active fleet. The aircraft was the first B-52 to ever be regenerated and returned to fully operational flying status from long-term storage with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. [PHOTO BY KELLY WHITE, U.S. AIR FORCE]
J. Wetekam know it through firsthand experience. As young officers in the 1970s and 1980s, they routinely sent planes needing work to maintenance depots. “We were customers of the air logistics centers for most of our careers,” Gillett said. “And, they were absolutely critical” in allowing the Air Force to meet its mission. “But when I was in the field,” Gillett continued, “I have to admit, I didn’t appreciate what they actually do and what they bring to the table. “From my point of view, either an aircraft showed up or it didn’t, and I had no appreciation for what went on behind the curtain.” As their careers advanced, however, both men eventually were stationed at air logistics centers. Wetekam served at Tinker from November 1995 through November 1997 as the air logistics center’s vice commander, and later he was the commander
of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. Gillett did two tours of duty at Tinker. In 2000 and 2001, he was the director of the Technology and Industrial Support Directorate at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. From 2009 through 2011, he commanded the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. Wetekam said the Air Force constantly works to keep its planes airworthy, regardless of where they operate. Organizational maintenance is done at the aircraft’s operating location to ensure the craft is capable of fulfilling its mission on a day-to-day basis. Intermediate maintenance also is done at the aircraft’s location, but might involve work taking it offline for a few days. “And then, there is depot level maintenance, SEE LOGISTICS, 16T
Lester Walker, with the 548th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron, performs a weld on a titanium tube. Walker trains welders from all across the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Reserve. After the welders have gone through their training, a third-party certified welding inspector verifies their work. [BY KELLY WHITE, U.S. AIR FORCE]
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which as a customer, you don’t see,” Wetekam said. “You ship an aircraft off, and a several months later, you get a rebuilt aircraft back, and it is kind of like magic. “You always want it back sooner than it can be delivered, and maybe you don’t always have the greatest appreciation for what goes on there until you have walked in their shoes.” Muscling up Tinker already had survived a major base closing process before Gillett did his first tour at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. When he returned to command it, Gillett said the operation had made strides to improve, but he noted there still was room to make more — KC-135 overhauls, for example, were lagging, spending 235 days at the center. So, Gillett and his military and civilian staffs conducted thorough evaluations to improve the process. First, they conducted detailed inspections of each aircraft when it arrived at the depot. Cleaner aircraft were sent through one overhaul process, while aircraft with more problems were sent through another. Because they knew from those inspections about what types of issues they would be addressing, they made sure their workers were equipped with the tools and materials they needed before they started their jobs. The center also changed its administrative work flow to get engineers involved earlier and more quickly in the overhaul process. Before, it might have taken weeks or a month to get an engineer’s recommendation on how to address a particular problem. They cut that time down to hours, in most cases. They reduced the average time it took to overhaul a KC-135 to 120 days. “Now, that does a few things,” Gillett said. “First, it gets the airplanes back into the field. Another thing it does, is, it drives down the cost to the Air Force, because the more days an aircraft sits in the depot, then the more the cost increases. “Finally, it makes more aircraft available to the Air Force, and gives it the flexibility to retire some of the older aircraft it has in its fleet.” Also, it increased the depot’s capacity, lessening the need for the Air Force to get aircraft overhauled at private facilities. Under Gillett’s leadership, the center also applied those same principles to the work it did on engines and on B-52, B-1 and E-3 aircraft. His successor, Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, continued to improve on Gillett’s work, seeking to save the Air Force a billion dollars through its improvements. Both Gillett and Wetekam said the center, now known as an Air Logistics Complex, achieved that goal and continues on the same path now. “What I gained an appreciation for when I was a commander is the effect air logistics complexes can have on the readiness of the Air Force as a whole, and the creativity of and dedication to the mission that the workforce at Tinker has,” Gillett said.
The beast has been completely unleashed. The 15th and final B-1 to receive the Integrated Battle Station modifications, the largest modifications in B-1 history, left Tinker on Dec. 15, 2015. [PHOTO BY KELLY WHITE, U.S. AIR FORCE]
Sarah Holshouser, a 553rd Commodities Maintenance Squadron composite fabricator, drills out rivets on a KC-135 aileron she is overhauling at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex in 2016. The 553rd manufactures and maintains components for KC-135, B-1B, B-52H, E-3 and E-6 aircraft. [PHOTO BY GREG L. DAVIS, U.S. AIR FORCE]
Members of the 565th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron install one of eight engines on ‘Ghost Rider,’ on July 8. The B-52 Stratofortress, tail number 61-007, recently got extensive programmed depot maintenance at Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTO BY KELLY WHITE, U.S. AIR FORCE]
“People just don’t appreciate that.” History The depot was created in 1941 when the U.S. War Department designated Oklahoma City as its location. During World War II, it repaired B-17 and B-24 bombers and engines and also fitted B-29s for combat. In 1946, the base expanded to take in the Douglas aircraft plant, and the depot was named Oklahoma City Air Material Area. It provided support to the U.S. military while it fought in Korea. The Oklahoma City Material Area depot also supported the U.S. Air Force during the Berlin Airlift during the late 1940s and the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s, and during the Vietnam War, it provided significant logistics support especially for B-52s. In 1966, the depot moved employees into its new headquarters inside a 121,000-squarefoot addition to the old Douglas plant, named Building 3001. In 1974, its name changed to become the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, and 20 years after that, it became the largest intermediate jet maintenance center in the world. After surviving the Base Realignment and Closure Commission process in 1995, the air logistics center and Lockheed Martin won an engine workload competition to ensure the depot’s continued growth. It won a Maintenance Effectiveness Award for 2002, and the center’s ground safety office
Workers modify a B-17 at the Oklahoma City air depot at Tinker Field in 1942. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
obtained an outstanding achievement award in 2003 from the Air Force’s chief of staff for having the best ground safety program in the service. Also, the logistics center overhauled its quality management systems to ensure it was meeting customers needs. That work was certified by the National Quality Assurance accreditation firm in 2005. Also in 2005, the base was notified it had won the Air Force’s Maintenance Effectiveness Award for large depots. In 2006, the depot began painting C-130s, and in 2007, logistics center won an achievement award from the Secretary of the Air Force for small business special activity. In about 2009, Tinker began moving workers into a new addition to the base, the former General Motors plant, named building 9001. Oklahoma County voters had approved a bond issue in 2006 to buy the plant from the car company and then lease it to the U.S. Air Force for $1 a year. In July 2012, the Oklahoma City depot
was redesignated as the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, one of three under the Air Force Sustainment Center, also located at Tinker Air Force Base. The ALC in 2017 Administratively, the complex is made up of five groups and eight staff offices. The 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group directs, manages and accomplishes organic depot-level maintenance, repairs, modifications, overhauls, functional check flights and reclamations of B-1, B-52, C/KC/EC-135, E-3, KC-10, C-130 and E-6 aircraft. The group also provides depot maintenance and distribution support to a fleet of aircraft for the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Navy and foreign military customers and supports expeditionary combat logistics. The 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group is the Air Force’s only depot-level maintenance facility for Air Force and Navy aircraft engines. The group repairs engines and major engine
Brett Smith, a 553rd Commodities Maintenance Squadron composite fabricator, uses a tap to locate weak points which need repair on a B-1B wing leading edge being inspected and repaired in 2016 at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTO BY GREG L. DAVIS, U.S. AIR FORCE]
assemblies for F-15, F-16, E-3, E-6, E-8, B-52, B-1, B-2, C-17, C-18, KC/RC-135, and F/A-22 aircraft. It also will repair engines for F-35s. The 76th Commodities Maintenance Group directs, manages and operates organic depot level maintenance facilities that restore Air Force and Navy aircraft and engine parts to serviceable condition. These systems include the A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52, C-5, C-17, C-130, C-135, C-141, E-3, F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16, F-22, T-37 and T-38 aircraft. The group is also the Air Force Technology Repair Center for air & fuel accessories, constant speed drives and oxygen related components. The 76th Software Maintenance Group is responsible for software design, development, integration and sustaining computer resources that are critical to the Air Force’s mission.
These include operational flight programs, automated tests for jet engines and other equipment, modeling and simulations, industrial automation, and software for multiple weapon systems. The group also provides engineering support to its customers in the depot sustainment and acquisition communities. The 76th Maintenance Support Group manages industrial services, physical sciences laboratories, precision measurement equipment laboratories and tools for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. It provides engineering, installation, maintenance and management support for the complex’s industrial plant equipment and facilities. In addition, the group provides environmental, occupational health, continuous process improvements and point of use technology for all complex organizations.
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Base kicked into high gear after 9/11 BY BRIANNA BAILEY Staff Writer bbailey@oklahoman.com
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hen federal officials eyed closing Tinker Air Force Base in 1993, 1995 and 2005, reaction from the community was swift. Retired Lt. Gen. Richard Burpee, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, fought to keep Tinker open all three times. In 1993, Tinker first landed on the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission’s list of possible closure sites. The inclusion of Tinker on the list the first time around caught community leaders completely off guard, Burpee said. “It was a total surprise,” he said. “The BRAC (Base Closure and Realignment Commision) was something that was being talked about, but nobody ever thought Tinker would be affected. We saw it on the evening news.” At the behest of thenU.S. Sen. David Boren, Burpee flew to Washington, D.C., the next day to meet with Oklahoma’s congressional delegation. Burpee and other community leaders only had about 30 days to come up with a persuasive case to keep federal officials from closing Tinker. The community also rallied around the cause. South Oklahoma City businessman John Conner organized an event called “Hands Around Tinker” in 1993 where
A view from the refueling pod of a KC-135R operated by citizen airmen from the 465th Air Refueling Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, as four F-22 Raptors fly in a formation after an aerial refueling. During the flight, the Okies of the 465th ARS offloaded 42,700 lbs. of fuel to the fighters. [PHOTO BY TECH. SGT. LAUREN GLEASON, U.S. AIR FORCE]
An unidentified Air Force soldier walks along SE 29 as cars wait in line for nearly a mile to enter Tinker Air Force Base on Sept. 12, 2001. This is near “F” Avenue, at the Eaker Gate entrance to the base. Many workers parked their vehicles in fields north of SE 29 and simply walked to the base. [PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES]
people joined hands to form a human chain around parts of the base on the day Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission officials visited for a tour. “I don’t know if it’s about saving Tinker so much as it’s about pulling together for something we all believe in,” said Master Sgt. John Oster, who participated in the human chain with his family at the time. The Del City Chamber of Commerce launched a campaign to collect 23,500 signatures to present to Defense Base
Closure and Realignment Commission officials — the population of Del City at the time. Local businesses, too, posted signature sheets for patrons to sign in support of keeping Tinker open. “We’re doing this because a lot of people just don’t realize how close our tie is to Tinker, how important we are to each other,” Chamber Chairman Bill Lawrence told The Oklahoman in 1993. Tinker narrowly dodged closure again in 1995 when the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commis-
sion chose closing Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio over Tinker. At the 1995 BRAC hearings, Burpee testified after Texas heavyweights including then-Gov. George W. Bush, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sen. Phil Gramm argued in support of Kelly. “It was really close between Kelly and Tinker; we had an uphill battle,” Burpee said. “I made the pitch that Tinker was far more productive than Kelly.” The argument apparently worked, and Tinker survived another round. In 2002, Oklahoma County voters passed a bond issue worth up to $50 million to clear houses from encroaching the base and to provide increased security to Tinker in order to improve the base’s rating with the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission and better protect it from future rounds of base closures. About 108 houses and part of a car dealership were cleared in order to better secure Tinker’s main runway. In 2005, Tinker was again spared in another round of base closures. Today, Burpee is pleased Tinker remains a vital part of the Oklahoma City metro area’s economy and a major employer. “It would have been devastating to the city if it had closed, and I think Midwest City and Del City would have really been hurt,” he said.
‘Pulling together for something we all believe in’ Tinker survived two rounds of base closures BY RANDY ELLIS Staff Writer rellis@oklahoman.com
When terrorists stunned the world with their surprise attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, the attacks demanded a creative and powerful response. The men and women at Oklahoma’s Tinker Air Force Base were more than ready to provide both. Within minutes, Tinker Air Force Base was locked down and the battle staff was convened, retired Lt. Gen. Charles Johnson, former Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander, recalled during a 2011 forum at Rose State College. Within an hour, the base’s security was upgraded to Force Protection Condition Delta — a maximum security level the base had never before utilized, Johnson said. The heightened security created its own issues. Traffic quickly began to back up at the gate as security personnel carefully scrutinized every person and every vehicle. Caught up in the delays were aircrew members who desperately needed to be inside preparing for flight. Retired Brig. Gen Ben Robinson, who was 552nd Air Control Wing Commander at the time, seized the initiative. “There was a security policeman sitting in his car, so we drove up there and said, ‘follow us,’ “ Robinson told forum participants. When they reached the back of the base, the gen-
Gov. David Walters, left, Base Closure and Realignment Commision Chairman Jim Courter, at top of stairs, and commission member Harry C. McPherson, bottom right, tour a B-52 aircraft as part of their inspection of Tinker Air Base in June 1993.
Tinker workers listen to comments by BRAC commision members in April 1995. [PHOTOS PROVIDED BY OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY/ THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES]
eral directed the security policeman to use bolt cutters to cut a hole in the fence. “After he cut the first hole, he looked over at me and asked, ‘Where do you want the next hole?,’” Robinson was quoted as saying in the base’s Tinker Take Off publication. “I told him, ‘I get one hole per war and that’s it.’” Just that quick, the base had a new “gate” for aircrews and other essential personnel. Offers of cooperation poured into the base. Then-Gov. Frank Keating called Gen. Johnson to ask how the state could help. Knowing there would be traffic jams on interstates, Johnson asked for assistance from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. “The state troopers were out there going car to car looking for fliers to tell them to go to this other ‘gate,’ “ Johnson said.
Ready for action Each section of Tinker faced its own challenges. The most immediate challenge was to quickly assess the risk of further attacks and put the military in a position to defend and respond. This nation’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) planes are largely based out of Tinker. They are the military’s “eyes in the sky” when it comes directing fighter jets in aerial warfare and other battlefield operations. Getting them in position to identify any further attacks and direct countermeasures was a high priority. There were only 17 AWACS available at Tinker at the time. When the terrorists struck, only one AWACS plane was airborne and four others were on the tarmac ready to launch. The airborne AWACS “got tasked to be the first airplane to orbit over the
White House about 45 minutes after the first tower was hit,” retired Col. Patrick Sheets said at the forum. Sheets was the 552nd Air Control Wing operations director at that time. Two of the four AWACS on the tarmac had training crews aboard when the terrorists struck. Those students quickly were replaced with experienced crews who were ready to perform their mission. The base’s 507th Air Refueling Wing also geared up for action. More than two-thirds of the wing’s units are composed of traditional reservists, who have civilian jobs throughout the metro area. The reservists were swiftly contacted and the base’s refueling tankers “were in the air the next day,” Col. Mike Mahon, a former vice commander of the 507th Air Refueling Wing, told forum participants.
“Refueling fully armed F-16s in U.S. airspace is a game-changer,” Col. Mahon said of the duties performed by the wing’s eight KC-135 aircraft during the days after 9/11. Elsewhere on base, attention focused on B-1 bombers that likely were to be called into action once individuals responsible to the attacks had been identified. “I had over one-third of the B-1s in the Air Force inventory parked at Tinker undergoing major modification,” Gen. Johnson said. “They couldn’t fly. So our job was to get those back operational.” Tinker personnel accomplished that and more. Integral part For months after the attacks, AWACS planes monitored the skies above the homeland in support of Operation Noble Eagle. When the U.S. took the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan with Operation Enduring Freedom beginning on Oct. 7, 2001, AWACS were some of the first planes on the scene and refueling crews provided critical support. When the U.S. and
coalition forces launched the “shock and awe” bombing campaign over Iraq on March 20, 2003, Tinker crews were integral to the mission’s success. A steady stream of anti-terrorism missions have followed since. “Since 9/11, the 507th Air Refueling Wing has mobilized and deployed more than 15 times to support air operations in Southwest Asia,” said Air Force Maj. Jon Quinlan, chief of public affairs for the 507th Air Refueling Wing. “Our primary role during many of our deployments was to provide direct aerial refueling for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and most recently, Operation Inherent Resolve,” he said. “We also provided direct maintenance to the KC-135 Stratotanker, deployed security forces support, aerial port, cargo movement, aeromedical evacuation, civil engineers, deployed base support functions, deployed legal services, public affairs, medical support and much more in the past 15 years.” Contributing: April McDonald, Tinker Take Off
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Ahead of the storm Tinker-stationed officers issued first tornado watch in 1948 BY JACK MONEY Business Writer jmoney@oklahoman.com
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pair of officers in the United States Air Force stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City made history on March 25, 1948, when they successfully forecast a tornado that would strike the area. Maj. Ernest J. Fawbush and Capt. Robert C. Miller made their prediction after observing the same type of conditions that day as they’d seen less than a week before, when a tornado came through Tinker Air Force Base and caused more than $10 million in damages. After notifying the base commander, they were urged to get the word out to base personnel. Indeed, within hours, a tornado hit the base, following nearly the same path as the one that had struck less than a week before. The officers went on to found the U.S. Air Force’s severe weather warning center in Kansas City, Missouri, later moved to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska.
Meanwhile, a research partnership between Tinker Air Force Base and the nearby National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman developed and continued on for decades. Don Burgess, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma’s Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, started out at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory as a researcher in 1970. Initial research the laboratory did with Tinker Air Force Base then involved some of the same tools the two Air Force officers used more than 20 years earlier to make their predictions, Burgess said. Floating balloons Burgess recalled that Tinker Air Force Base for many years had a mobile squadron that would release weather balloons into the atmosphere to take humidity and temperature readings (later models also were equipped with the capability to measure wind speeds aloft), and then transmit those to a receiver on the ground. They could reach altitudes in excess of 30,000 feet, and travel as much as 50 miles. Though their intent was to gather data for
A tornado that hit Tinker Air Force Base on March 20, 1948 left this mess behind. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTO]
military operations, they also worked with the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman during spring storm seasons to help the laboratory with its research. While some balloons might be released from Tinker Air Force Base, others were released in other parts of the country, farther west and farther south, enabling meteorologists to get a more complete picture of what was happening in the jet stream. “That way, they would know not just what was going on at Tinker, but also what was happening upstream, and how much moisture was being pulled up from the Gulf — all of those things that we look for when we are evaluating a severe weather threat today,” Burgess said. “They put all that together and issued the first tornado forecast,” which, Burgess added, was the first-ever tornado watch, as it was a prediction of what they expected to happen later that day. “They were able to do this by seeing those same conditions developing.” Other research Another research mission in which Tinker played a large role, Burgess said, was one called Operation Rough Rider. Its goal was to research thunderstorms’ impact on aircraft that might be flying either through the storm or nearby. As late as the mid1960s, both military and civilian aircraft were still being crashed by storms. So, the research used Air Force fighters modified to withstand extra turbulence and outfitted with special instrumentation to make those observations. Based on pilot observations and damages suffered by the aircraft, researchers also were able to validate some
Maj. Ernest Fawbush, left, and Capt. Robert Miller work on a weather forecast at Tinker Air Force Base. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
mathematical rules related to radar returns to predict hail cores inside the storms with a degree of accuracy. But the biggest benefit was in establishing safe parameters for operating aircraft in stormy weather. “In this day and age, we do much better around storms” when it comes to aircraft, Burgess said. “We’ve learned to give them a wide birth.” There’s also the use of radars in weather forecasting, and in this case, both civilian and military meteorologists have benefited from a cooperative relationship that began decades ago. Civilian researchers, including ones at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, were able to obtain surplus military radars used as part of the Distant Early Warning Line on the Arctic Circle to begin researching their use to analyze weather events. They modified the radars so that they were capable
of looking at distributed echoes of precipitation, rather than for aircraft, missiles and rockets. Researchers eventually developed Doppler radar capable of looking inside thunderstorms to see circulation and wind shear patterns and developed and recently installed dual polarization radar. Dual polarization radar transmits horizontal and vertical radio pulses to scan thunderstorms, and returns from those signals allow meteorologists to accurately determine what type of precipitation a storm is producing — hail, as opposed to rain, for example — which allows them to much more accurately forecast where the worst precipitation is happening. While the technology had been getting developed for quite some time, researchers were ready to roll it out in 2013. By 2015, the 170 WSR-88Ds Doppler radars used in the United States and a few other areas all had
received the upgrades. Throughout it all, researchers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory willingly have shared experimental warning information to both Tinker Air Force Base and the local National Weather Service office whenever conditions warranted the need, Burgess said. Tinker, in turn, has shared information it received from the laboratory with Fort Sill and Altus Air Force Base whenever storms were threatening those areas. “So, we have a history here at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman of working with Tinker on severe thunderstorms and weather activity through the weather balloons and Project Rough Rider. “Then, as we were learning more about thunderstorms and how to use Doppler radar, we shared that information with the military,” Burgess said.
‘The whole base just did it’ Tinker personnel jumped in to help after May 20, 2013, tornado arrived BY THOMAS MAUPIN For The Oklahoman
Personnel in Tinker’s emergency operations center had been watching the weather and knew May 20, 2013, was going to be a rough day. That Monday afternoon, an EF5 tornado tore through portions of southwest Oklahoma City and cut a deadly path through Moore, killing 25 people. Col. Rick “Rico” Johns was a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of Tinker’s 72nd Mission Support Group, and night commander of the emergency operations center. Johns is now commander of the 88th Air Base Wing Communications Squadron at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Tinker leadership had been letting workers leave work early and at staggered times so the highways would not be clogged, Johns said recently in a telephone interview. He said there were about 25,000 people on base at the time. Johns said every Air Force base practices
at least once a year for weather emergencies, but Tinker practices four times a year. He said “all the experts” from all the base units came to the EOC. Those experts included security, public affairs, logistics and legal. “We knew it was really bad, but we just can’t go in” without permission. He said they had to know what they would we allowed to do. They got the local and state OK to roll out. An emergency operations center and several assistance programs were set up within in a matter of hours. The base sent airmen and firefighters to Moore and prepared plans if more help was requested by civilian officials. Lights were needed in Moore to help in the search and rescue effort at the destroyed Plaza Towers Elementary School. Tinker personnel readied 35 diesel-generated lights. Johns said the order went out to “get all the lights available and send them to that school.” The base public affairs department reported contractors brought in flatbed trucks to carry the lights to Moore. By that night, Tinker’s lights were being used to illuminate the rubble of Plaza
Towers. Seven students died when the tornado hit the school. Variety of help Thinking back to 2013, Johns said that the first night, Tinker sent a busload of 100 unarmed, uniformed airmen to Moore to help police and National Guardsmen with traffic control. He said there were too many people wanting to drive into the damaged neighborhoods. Many wanted to help family or friends, while others just wanted to look. Johns said the airmen were relieved every four hours by another 100 airmen. That went on for 24 hours. Tinker’s fire department sent firefighters, two fire trucks and a heavy rescue vehicle on the first day. The base also sent several 400-gallon water trailers and portable restrooms to the affected areas. The base media reports at the time said 25 Security Forces Squadron members and four military working dogs were given the “all clear” to perform search and rescue in the damaged area. Johns said that one big problem was nails. Because of the number of destroyed and damaged houses, roofing shingles
and their nails littered the streets. Police, fire and other first-responder vehicles were getting flat tires. Tinker sent in its sweeper trucks. Johns said the large vehicles that look like street sweepers have magnets in the front. They are designed to clear Air Force base runways of debris that could otherwise be sucked into an aircraft jet engines. By May 22, Johns said, the call went out for base volunteers to help residents clear debris, clean up property and help people find lost possessions such as photographs. By the weekend, about 1,000 Tinker airmen, civilian employees and their family members were assisting. Johns said many Tinker airmen and civilian workers live in Moore. Tinker media reports at the time said about 160 Tinker families lost their home to the tornado. The base organized “Adopt a Family,” which encouraged personnel to take in other Tinker families affected by the storm. With so many people affected and with such a large military and civilian workforce, Tinker wanted to know about its people. The goal was to physically contact every
Col. Rick “Rico” Johns speaks at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. At the time of the May 20, 2013, tornado, he was a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of Tinker’s 72nd Mission Support Group and night commander of the Emergency Operations Center. Johns is currently commander of the 88th Air Base Wing Communications Squadron at Wright-Patterson. [PHOTO PROVIDED BY AIR FORCE]
single person in every squadron and group. “We achieved 100 percent Tuesday afternoon,” he said. On May 22, Johns said, “The whole base just did it. Everybody knew what they were going to do, and there were no complaints whatsoever, even though they were working long hours. They just did it.” Appreciated efforts Johns, who was transferred from Tinker in 2014, praised the metro area’s support for the air base. Deidre Ebrey, Moore’s director of marketing and economic development, in turn praised Tinker. “Many of the city of Moore’s population work at Tinker AFB; either as
active military or civilian. It’s not a surprise the base was geared up and ready to offer aid to their employees who were affected but also to us as the city. ... They were able to ramp up significantly within 24 hours to offer immediate assistance and we were, and continue to be, very grateful.” Todd Jenson, one of Moore’s two assistant city managers, agreed. “Tinker Air Force personnel were vital to the cleanup of our community. They responded to every need we had. They volunteered to help clean up our cemetery, city parks and rights of way. They donated their time, talent and dollars to help us recover. We noticed their hard work and very much appreciated it.”
SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
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‘She just got it done’ A real-life ‘Rosie the Riveter’ lives in southwest Oklahoma City
Whatever she wanted to do, she just got it done. She’s independent and strong-willed.
BY KEN RAYMOND
Sharee Herring, Dorothy George’s youngest daughter
Staff Writer kraymond@oklahoman.com
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fter all this time, Dorothy George’s memories have faded. She’s 91 years old now, far from the vivacious 18-year-old who went to work at the Douglas Aircraft factory in 1943, but she’s still vibrant and active, enjoying water aerobics and visits from her family to her southwest Oklahoma City home. George, whose maiden name was Chappell, moved with her mother from Atoka to the metro area in ’43. Both took jobs at Douglas to help the war effort. While “Rosie the Riveter” became the icon representing all women who helped build machines of war, George epitomized the ideal: Her job was to rivet airplane fuselages. She crawled all over the aircraft, cautious about her work, making sure every rivet took hold just right. It was important to all the women at Douglas, she said, to do their jobs perfectly. Nobody wanted a mistake in the factory to result in a death in the air. It was, she recalled, a “very tough job,” and women earned about half what their male counterparts made. What money George earned she invested in savings bonds, further helping the war effort. When World War II ended, George moved on with her life, rarely talking about her time in the factory. Only recently has she realized the important role she and the thousands of other Rosies played in history. “I really didn’t think it was a big deal,” she said recently, “otherwise I would’ve been talking up a storm.” Women at war Tinker Air Force Base doesn’t have much information about women like George — just some photos and the occasional story published contemporaneously in Tinker’s Take Off magazine. April McDonald, a public affairs specialist with the 72nd Air Base
band, Melvin George, in 1948. He’d served in the Philippines during the war, and they found each other, appropriately enough, during a game of Hearts. “He worked at Tinker for 30 years,” George said. “He took up where I left off, I guess. He was an electrician.” Her brother, Joe Chappell, also survived the war. He was a sailor stationed somewhere in the Pacific Theater. Inspirational From the May 15, 1943, Tinker Take Off: “Tinker Field’s first all-girl crew has come through with flying colors. They are, left to right, Lola Shephard, Gertrude Haraughty, Betty Harkey, Inez Willson, La Doris Nowell, Irene Ritter and Tennie Brightwell. On the graveyard shift, they are shown removing the fairing and hose connection on a B-25.” [PHOTO PROVIDED BY TINKER HISTORY OFFICE]
Dorothy George at 19, a year after she was hired by Douglas Aircraft as a real-life “Rosie the Riveter.” [PHOTO PROVIDED]
Wing at Tinker, found a brief mention on Tinker’s website. “From early 1942 to the end of WWII, the urgent need for labor to support the war effort opened up a wide variety of jobs for women,” it reads. “While there were many who worked in ‘traditional’ occupations such as janitorial or clerical positions, most held production jobs such as aircraft and engine mechanics, welders, electricians, sheet metal workers, instrument repair technicians, quality control inspectors, equipment operators, security guards, warehouse workers, etc. “At Tinker, women workers helped perform maintenance on such aircraft as the B-17, B-24 and B-29 and aircraft engines such as the R1820, R2600 and R3350. To the east across the north/south runway,
Dorothy George holds up a poster that her children made for her. It honors George for her work as a riveter at Douglas Aircraft during World War II. [PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN]
the Douglas Plant (now Building 3001), with a 50.6 percent women workforce, built half of all C-47 Skytrains produced for the Allied war effort.” The History Channel website points out that by 1945, almost one in four married women worked outside the home. In 1943, the year George and her mother went to work, more than 310,000 women were employed in the aviation industry, the website notes. Before the second world war, women made up just 1 percent of aircraft workers; once America got pulled into
the fighting, women held 65 percent of aviation jobs. In part, women were drawn into the workforce by the Rosie the Riveter campaign. The image of Rosie, flexing one arm while wearing a work shirt and with a red handkerchief pulling back her hair, was ubiquitous, appearing in every sort of media. The attached slogan — “We Can Do It!” — made the whole thing all the more motivational. Of course, Rosies weren’t the only women involved in the war. As the website notes, about 350,000 women joined
the military, initially as the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and later as the Women’s Air Corps. These women were dubbed WACs, while those who joined the Navy became known as WAVEs. A third group — WASPs — flew military aircraft. Most civilian women lost their jobs when the men returned from war, although a good number stayed on the job or switched to different positions on the base. George opted to leave. She went to a business college, then worked for 27 years for the Southern Leather Co. She met her hus-
Sharee Herring, George’s youngest daughter, said her mother is an inspiration. George’s independence and commitment to exercise never faltered, not when she developed breast cancer (she's a survivor since 1977) and not when Melvin George passed away in 2002. He’d had a variety of health problems, including a bad ticker and leukemia, but it was a stroke that killed him. George had her daughters, Herring and Patsy Binkley, and grandchildren to help her through it, although her voice betrays sadness when she speaks of her loss. “She’s been to me a strong lady throughout her life,” Herring said. “Whatever she wanted to do, she just got it done. She’s independent and strong-willed.” “She still lives alone,” Binkley added. George’s house is immaculate, a testimony to her “can do” lifestyle. She could easily be mistaken for someone 20 years younger. Looking at her now, it’s hard to see the girl with the rivet gun, but it’s easy to see the liveliness and spirit behind her eyes. If she has one regret about her time in the factory, it’s that she doesn't remember as much as she'd like. “I think if you had your life to live over,” she said, “you’d write it down and put it in the Bible or someplace.”
TINKER’S ROLE IN GLOBAL EVENTS Tinker was established after a tense and bloody few years of German conquest and the rising threat of Japanese military power during World War II. In spring 1940, the American public heavily supported enlarging the United States' military capabilities, and Congress approved construction of 30 plants to build the nation's warplanes. Tinker Air Force Base was one of the bases ultimately built to meet the growing need for planes to fight in the war, and it has served an important role in global events ever since. Tinker's responsibilities have changed many times in the decades since it was established to meet those demands. The following is a list of several ways in which Tinker played a role in global events and conflicts: • In 1943, five years before it was renamed after Maj. Gen. Clarence Tinker, the base was home to the 20th Bomber Command. Crews there outfitted more than 100 aircraft with extra fuel tanks, allowing them to fly "over the hump" from India to China. • Two years later, crews at the base modified radar on more than 140 bombers, giving them new precision bombing capabilities. Over that two-year period, the base was responsible for producing about 7,000 aircraft to help in the war effort. • After the Russian blockade of Berlin in 1948, Tinker became the depot for maintenance of aircraft used in airlift missions, and the base's commander, Maj. Gen.
Fred S. Borum, and his crew were sent to England to help military personnel there overhaul their production process.
• During a period of 1968, crews at Tinker were manufacturing up to 16 aircraft per day to help in wartime efforts in Vietnam.
• Even though work declined at the base after World War II, in 1950 the base was still the largest air depot in the U.S., employing 10,000 people. When the Korean War broke out that year, work on base increased quickly. Crews there produced more than 300 aircraft for the war.
• Amid rising tensions between Russia and Poland in 1980, Tinker's Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) program became an important tool for the American military. Aircrews from Tinker trained for months with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to keep an eye on Warsaw Pact maneuvers. The following year, crews also helped monitor the Persian Gulf after war broke out between Iran and Iraq.
• Over a 10-year period beginning in the early 1950s, Tinker was responsible for the production of more than 38,000 jet engines. • Maintenance crews from Tinker were sent to air bases across the U.S. in 1956, after the Israeli occupation of Sinai and the Gaza Strip. Production at the base was halted temporarily in order to meet the military's needs. • In 1961, President John F. Kennedy stepped up preparedness for a military intervention in Berlin, and reserve troops at Tinker were called into active duty. Several hundred civilian positions were added at the base to meet the workload of maintaining the Air Force's B-52 bombers. • Tinker played a vital role in 1967 providing communications equipment used in the Apollo 4 unmanned spacecraft. This included equipment in the craft, at ground control in Houston, and world communication relay stations.
• Tinker played an important role in providing aircrews for Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and on-base crews maintained and produced engines and aircraft components for the skirmish. • In 1995, Tinker housed more than 100 military aircraft that had to flee Hurricane Felix and then again later that year for more than 100 planes trying to steer clear of Hurricane Opal. • In the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, troops stationed at Tinker were deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Tinker was providing support for refueling missions and assisted NATO efforts by acting as a temporary home for foreign forces. Graham Brewer, Staff Writer
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SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
‘You just never know’ Tinker has seen fatal, nonfatal crashes over the years BY GRAHAM LEE BREWER Staff Writer gbrewer@oklahoman.com
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uring its 75-year history, Tinker Air Force Base has had a number of crashes, both fatal and nonfatal. While most of those incidents have taken place on base, on two occasions a plane flying to Tinker crashed into a home in Midwest City. In both instances, two lives were lost. In May 1974, a pilot
from Tinker was flying a Northrop T-38 Talon on a training mission. The pilot and his co-pilot were approaching the base to land when the aircraft lost power, according to Tinker historical documents. Witnesses also said the plane’s engine backfired just before impact, indicating a possible engine failure. The pilots were able to regain control enough to avoid an apartment complex, however they crashed into a home on Del Casa Circle before they could eject. Both pilots were killed. “Oh my god! My beautiful $35,000 home,” exclaimed Paul Shofner,
a Tinker employee upon seeing his home that was destroyed in the crash. Shofner and his wife, Lisa, had not been home at the time of the accident. Witnesses said the plane clipped a group of trees before bouncing off the pavement of the culde-sac and pushing a car in the Shofner’s driveway through the home. About a decade later in 1985, an air support aircraft that had been repaired at Tinker set off for a test flight after it had been disassembled for cleaning and maintenance, said Lt. Gen. Richard Burpee, acting commander at Tinker at the time.
The engine caught fire about six miles north of the base, and the pilot was trying to find his way back to the base for an emergency landing, Burpee said. The plane was not going to make it back, and the pilot found an open field in which to land. The pilot ejected just before the plane skipped off the ground, plowed through an oak tree, and crashed into the only home in the immediate area, killing an elderly attorney and his sister. “They never knew what was coming,” Midwest City police spokesman Sid Stell told The Oklahoman the day of the
crash. “I don’t think they ever heard a thing.” It was incidents like those that led the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments and the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct a joint land use study to determine best practices for development around the base. “Planes are a lot safer today than they were 20, 30 years ago, but every once in a while … You just never know,” Burpee said. “The most critical time of flight is the takeoff and the landing.” The base established several large acreages in the immediate area as “accident potential zones,” which were to be
left undeveloped to avoid the loss of life during a crash. The commission that conducted the study in 2008 recommended keeping these areas clear by prohibiting encroachment, which “negatively affects readiness and is often gradual, going unnoticed, until its impacts cumulatively erode the military’s ability to complete the mission of training and deploying combat-ready troops and equipment.” The study found previous guidelines for development were being exceeded and warned against future construction in those areas.
TIMELINE
Important events in Tinker history From presidential visits to high-profile aircraft landings, Tinker Air Force Base has had a rich history over the last 75 years. Here’s a look back at some of the base’s biggest moments.
In the beginning The War Department announced Oklahoma City as the new site of a materiel depot on April 8, 1941. It would cover 1,500 acres and employ nearly 4,000 people. Construction began in July 1941, and the base was up and operational by early 1942. Over the course of the war, the Enola Gay (the B-29 Superfortress that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan) would be serviced there, and hundreds of aircraft would be built each year at the Douglas Aircraft Factory.
Tornadoes damage base By 1948, the war was long gone and peacetime life was beginning to take shape for Tinker. But March 20, a tornado struck the base causing widespread damage to planes and the control tower, which had its windows shattered. The storm caused an estimated $70 million in damage and several people were injured. Five days later, the base’s meteorology team noticed conditions were ripe for another tornado and issued a forecast. This would become the first time a tornado had ever been forecast successfully as another tornado hit the base March 25.
Buddy Holly plays the O club Buddy Holly visited Oklahoma City in September 1957. He made a stop at the Oklahoma State Fair, ate dinner at a friend’s house and supposedly recorded several songs at Tinker’s officer’s club, including “Maybe Baby” one of his biggest hits. A plaque once commemorated the event, but has since been removed.
President John F. Kennedy visited Tinker Air Force Base to attend the funeral of Sen. Robert S. Kerr in January 1963.
JFK visits Tinker President John F. Kennedy landed at Tinker in January 1963 to attend the funeral of U.S. Sen. Robert S. Kerr. Kennedy flew in on Air Force One, which at that time was a Boeing 707. He was assassinated 10 months later.
The fire of 1984 A fire broke out in Building 3001 on Nov. 12, 1984. The building was used to overhaul engines for the B-52 and the B-1 bombers. About 100 workers were inside when the blaze started but all made it out safely. When all was said and done, the fire caused $100 million in damage.
Space shuttle visits Space Shuttle Columbia stopped at Tinker in April 1981 en route home from its inaugural mission. The shuttle was carried on the back of a modified Boeing 747 and drew a large crowd of visitors to the base to observe its landing.
The BRAC threat If you worked at Tinker in the 1990s, one of the most loathsome acronyms imaginable was BRAC, otherwise known as the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. In an era when America’s military bases were under funding scrutiny, Tinker was no exception. The base faced the threat of closure, or significant downsizing. Oklahoma’s congressional delegation fought hard for the base, and it ultimately was spared. The announcement was made in June 1995, but not before some uneasy moments.
More additions Tinker isn’t done growing. In 2016, ground was broken on a new 158-acre KC-46 Sustainment Campus in Midwest City, at a site that was once the BNSF Railway yard. Matt Patterson, Staff Writer
Above: Space Shuttle Columbia visited Tinker in 1981 on the back of a modified 747. Left: Planes were scattered at Tinker Air Force Base after a series of devastating tornadoes in 1948. [OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES PHOTOS]