{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://lucas.house.gov/frankly-speaking/tinker-and-oklahoma%E2%80%99s-legacy-service", "Tinker and Oklahomas Legacy of Service", "2016-11-11", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Frank Lucas", "L000491", "lucas.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cAn Osage leader is never at the back of his band of warriors\u201d \u2013 Dr. James Crowder, historian at Tinker Air Force Base\n\t\t\t\tClarence Leonard Tinker was the first Native American to attain the rank of Major General. Growing up in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, he revered the heroism of Osage military veterans and idolized the legends of Osage bravery in warfare. As a Major General during the Second World War, Clarence Tinker was not expected to enter direct combat, let alone lead a unit headfirst into front lines. Yet Tinker\u2019s Osage upbringing instilled in him the importance of leading the fight himself. Sadly, Clarence was the first General to die in combat during WWII.\u00a0 He was shot down June 7, 1942 while flying a mission over the Pacific during the Battle of Midway.\u00a0\n\t\t\t\tTinker\u2019s values were rooted in his Oklahoma upbringing.\u00a0 He spoke the Osage language and always maintained a close relationship with his father throughout his entire life.\n\t\t\t\tToday, the Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City bears the namesake of Major General Clarence Tinker.\u00a0 It is home to the 72nd Air Base Wing, providing material, support, and logistics for our nation\u2019s armed forces.\u00a0 They have established themselves as an indispensable component of our country\u2019s defense apparatus. Which is why it\u2019s fitting the base is named after an Oklahoman who broke barriers, demonstrated tremendous leadership, and courageously laid down his life in combat.\n\t\t\t\tThose who serve at Tinker are representatives of the Oklahoma Way. They were some of the first responders at the Murrah building in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. And when so many homes and businesses were destroyed in the wake of the tornado in May 1999, Tinker servicemen and women were immediately on the ground providing humanitarian aid and support.\n\t\t\t\tVeteran\u2019s Day is a moment to reflect on the legacy of those, like Maj. Gen. Tinker, who served our country. It\u2019s a day to reflect on their sacrifices, their selflessness and their sense of duty that prompted them to join our nation\u2019s armed services. Oklahoma is home to roughly 340,000 veterans and 20,000 active duty military personnel and I\u2019m proud of the way our state has built upon this tremendous legacy of service.\n\t\t\t\tOne of the great honors of my job is to meet with these men and women and their families to hear their stories. These are folks who have served in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the War on Terror. Many of them recall with great detail their experience in uniform and how it shaped their lives forever. I am always humbled by the overwhelming sense of patriotism I hear from our veterans of past wars \u2013 many of them only teenagers when they first answered the call to serve their country.\n\t\t\t\tMaj. Gen. Clarence Tinker was a man who made everyone \u2013 his family, his community and his country \u2013 proud. Oklahoma is fortunate to have Tinker\u2019s story as a part of our state\u2019s history.\n\t\t\t\tSeventy years have passed since he was lost in combat but the memory and pride for Maj. Gen. Tinker\u2019s service has not faded.\u00a0 At their annual In-lon-shka celebration, the Osage honor military veterans, including Tinker, with a ceremonial song and dance performance. These are closely held traditions passed between many generations. The way the Osage community comes together to honor those who have served sets a remarkable example for the rest of us.\n\t\t\t\tSo on this day, I hope that we can take a moment to pay respects to all our veterans whose individual stories, small and large, paint a greater portrait about what it truly means to serve your country. If it weren\u2019t for them, we could not enjoy the freedom, prosperity and peace we have today.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://lucas.house.gov/frankly-speaking/tinker-and-oklahoma%E2%80%99s-legacy-service"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6165049746632576, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}