What's in a name?
Bravery defined military man
Tinker Elementary: Clarence Tinker once returned to a burning plane he had escaped to save a Navy commander.
By MICHAEL CANNING
Published April 23, 2004
Originally opened by the Department of Defense on MacDill Air Force Base, Tinker Elementary got its name from the base's first commander.
Born in 1887 near Pawhuska, Okla., Clarence Tinker grew up in the Indian Territory. His father was one-quarter Osage Indian, and young Tinker spoke English and Osage. Tinker showed an interest in the military at an early age and began his military training at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo.
After graduating in 1908, Tinker was commissioned as a third lieutenant in Philippine Constabulary, a U.S. police force deployed after the Spanish-American War. In 1912, Tinker went into the Army as a second lieutenant. The following year, he was assigned as an officer for the all black 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Soon after, he met and married Madeline Doyle of Nova Scotia.
In 1917, he served briefly on the Arizona-Mexico border, which had been threatened by Mexican rebel leader Pancho Villa. In 1920, Tinker started his flight training and from 1922 to 1924 commanded the 16th Observation Squadron and 7th Air Service Division at Fort Riley, Kan.
Tinker had his first air crash in 1926, while assigned to London for embassy service. His plane crashed near the Kenley Aerodrome and burst into flames. Tinker escaped but returned to the burning wreckage to pull a Navy commander to safety. He was awarded the Soldier's Medal for his bravery.
In the years leading up to the United States' entry into World War II, Tinker held a number of commands in the nascent Army Air Corps. They culminated in May 1940 with his command at what would soon be named MacDill Field.
Nine days after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Tinker was transferred again to command the Army Air Forces at Hickham Field, Hawaii. There he told reporters, "In my opinion, the air force will be the controlling factor in all wars, including this one."
Tinker's final crash would be his last. On June 7, 1942, the day after the U.S. victory in the Battle of Midway, Tinker and his crew of 10 were lost in action while leading a group of LB-30 bombers in pursuit of retreating Japanese ships. By that time, he was a major general. He died at 54.
In October of that year, the Oklahoma City Air Depot was renamed Tinker Field, now the Tinker Air Force Base. Tinker Elementary opened on MacDill Air Force base in 1947.
- Source: Tech. Sgt. J.R. Foster of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base.
[Last modified April 22, 2004, 12:45:18]
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