Clarence L. Tinker
| Clarence L. Tinker | |
|---|---|
Clarence L. Tinker as a Major General
|
|
| Born |
November 21, 1887 near Pawhuska, Oklahoma |
| Died |
June 7, 1942 (aged 54) Midway Island |
| Buried at | His body was never recovered. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Air Forces
|
| Years of service | 1912–1942 |
| Rank |
 Major General
|
| Commands held |
17th Pursuit Group 7th Bombardment Group 27th Bombardment Group Seventh Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Soldier's Medal Distinguished Service Medal |
Major General Clarence Leonard Tinker (21 November 1887 – 7 June 1942) (Osage) was a career United States Army officer, the highest ranking Native-American officer and the first to reach that rank. During World War II, he had been assigned as Commander of the Seventh Air Force in Hawaii to reorganize the air defenses.
He flew to lead a force during the Battle of Midway in June 1942; his plane went out of control and was lost in the ocean. He was the first general to be killed in the war. Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is named in his honor.
Clarence Tinker was born on November 21, 1887 near Pawhuska, Oklahoma in the Osage Nation, the eldest son of George Edward Tinker and Sarah A. (Schwagerte) Tinker. He was raised as an Osage and learned the language and culture from his parents and extended family. His maternal grandmother was half-Osage; both her parents were mixed-race Osage. They had Osage mothers and fathers who were Acadian French traders from Louisiana.
Tinker received his elementary education in Catholic schools at Hominy and Pawhuska, Oklahoma, and at the Elgin, Kansas public school. Tinker and his friends learned about and idolized the 19th-century Osage Indian scouts who served with the U.S. cavalry, as well as Bonnycastle. This chief of the Osage served with US forces during the "Chinese Boxer Rebellion, according to Dr. James Crowder in his book, Osage General: Maj. Gen. Clarence L. Tinker."
While growing up, Clarence worked in the print shop of his father's newspaper, the Wah-Sha-She News. It was founded by his father and was one of Pawhuska's first weekly newspapers. Beginning in 1900, Tinker attended the Haskell Institute, the famous Indian school in Lawrence, Kansas, but withdrew before graduating.
In the fall of 1906, Tinker enrolled at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri. Upon graduating from Wentworth in 1908, Tinker was commissioned a third lieutenant in the Philippine Constabulary, serving until 1912.
...
Wikipedia