There have been 17 deaths at Tinker Air Force Base in 2023

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This year, 17 personnel have died at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, but Air Force officials have refused to say what the causes of those deaths were, citing concerns for families and units on base.

Kimberly Woodruff, a Tinker Air Force Base spokesperson, told Military.com on Wednesday that the base lost the personnel to "various causes, and several deaths remain under investigation."

Tinker Air Force Base has more than 30,000 personnel, and it's unclear how many of those deaths were service members, government employees, contractors or civilians tied to the base. One individual connected to the installation told Military.com that they had been informed of deaths connected to base this year including potential suicides, as well as COVID-19-related deaths.

"We are deeply saddened by the losses we have experienced at Tinker Air Force Base," Col. Abby Ruscetta, the Tinker installation commander, said in an emailed statement. "Our focus moving forward is to let everyone know we value them, and we stand together as a team."

Woodruff initially told Military.com on Tuesday that Air Force policy prohibits the installation from disclosing the number and causes of deaths, including suspected suicides still under investigation.

"I'm sorry, but we are not going to release the number of deaths at Tinker," Woodruff told Military.com in an email. "We have ongoing investigations and to protect the families and the units, we won't comment on those numbers. It is Air Force policy that we do not disclose information about deaths or their circumstances."

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