Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

The Tinker AFB Major Charles B. Hall Airpark is free and open to the public, generally from dawn to dusk; no pass is required. Tours of the Airpark are self-guided. At the south side of the parking area is a flagpole, flying the American Flag. To the southeast of the flagpole, down a walkway and behind a grove of trees on the right, is The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial. The Memorial features a series of 5 vertically-mounted reddish and gray granite tablets, supported by metal poles and supports, and mounted in concrete. The display sits at the edge of a bricked patio, with 4 white concrete stools framing 2 wooden benches for seating, with a backdrop of trees and the Flagpole. A low concrete border helps define the Memorial boundaries. The middle tablet is hexagon-shaped, larger and raised higher that the adjoining tablets, displays the USAF Seal, and identifies the Memorial as: THE AIR FORCE MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL. Also inscribed is: THE MEDAL OF HONOR, OUR NATION’S HIGHEST MILITARY AWARD, WAS GIVEN TO 58 AIRMEN WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR I, WORLD WAR II, KOREA AND VIETNAM. THIS GROVE SERVES AS A LIVING TESTIMONY TO THEIR BRAVERY, UNSELFISHNESS, AND DEVOTION TO COUNTRY. THE MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED IN THEIR HONOR AND PRESERVES THE VALUABLE HERITAGE OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND TINKER AFB, OKLAHOMA. DEDICATED 1997 The other 4 tablets are uniformly smaller and mounted at the same height. They identify the war era, rank, and name of recipients of the Medal of Honor, listed within a gray granite frame on each reddish tablet. From viewing left to right, they are: The first tablet combines both World War I and World War II eras. For WWI, 4 recipients are listed; and for WWII, 13 are listed. The second tablet continues with WWII recipients, and lists 25. The third tablet identifies 4 Korean War recipients. The fourth tablet records 14 Vietnam War recipients. (Note: In total, 60 recipients are listed which implies that 2 have been added since the Memorial was dedicated in 1997. The last name on the Vietnam War list apparently has been added, as the font style and size are noticeably different.) (Note: Tinker AFB is named for Major General Clarence L. Tinker, a native Oklahoman who lost his life while on a combat mission against Wake Island in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, during World War II.) (Note: The Medal of Honor is awarded for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. It was instituted in 1862. The first military aviator to receive the Medal was Captain Edward V. “Eddie” Rickenbacher of the Army Air Service, during World War I. The first Army Air Forces member to be awarded the Medal was Lieutenant Colonel James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, during World War II. Major Louis J. Sebille, of the U.S. Air Force, was the first to be awarded the Medal during the Korean War. The first recipient of the U.S. Air Force-designed Medal of Honor was Major Bernard F. Fisher, during the Vietnam War. Their names are included on the Tinker Memorial tablets.)

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Organization Responsible for Installation:

U.S. Government

Memorial War Era(s):

Vietnam
Korea
WWII
WWI

Location:

Tinker AFB, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma 73145. Access at the Tinker Gate/Air Depot Boulevard exit to Tinker Air Force Base, off Interstate Highway I-40/US Hwy 270, south of Midwest City, Oklahoma. The Airpark in which the Memorial is located is east of the Visitor Center (Building 6611), prior to arrival at the Federally-controlled access entrance - Tinker Gate. Enter the Visitor Center parking area and proceed east across the lot to the east exit onto S. Air Depot Boulevard. Cross the 1-way (outbound) Boulevard and enter an iron-gated parking area to the immediate front (east). An entry sign identifies Major Charles B. Hall, for whom the Airpark is named. The Airpark is also easily distinguishable by a number of Air Force aircraft on display and a flagpole on the south, near the entry.

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Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma - The Air Force Medal of Honor Memorial

 

Published on October 13, 2017