At the heart of Oklahoma, Tinker Air Force Base recently celebrated Native American Heritage Month, offering a multitude of heritage-appreciation activities to ensure that Native Americans within its community were recognized for their essential contributions to the military. The Oklahoma base has been actively implementing platforms for Native Americans in service, as Tinker formed an Inter-Tribal Council in 2007.
“We regularly organize community events recognizing the diversity of our service members and civilian workforce,” said Danny Rangel, 1st Lieutenant U.S. Air Force Media Operations Section Chief 72 ABW Public Affairs. “As we meet with new Tribes, our community gets larger and stronger. We believe in sharing and cultivating our culture with the base populace, and strive to educate our Tinker community with our month-long heritage activities.”
Tinker Air Force Base is built upon contributions from a number of diverse citizens, and service members believe multicultural communities and people provide benefits far beyond the borders of Oklahoma. “It’s important to remember that diversity is one of the keys to solving the complex problems we have in our endeavor to protect this nation,” said Rangel. “Recognizing different people from different backgrounds makes our organization better and contributes to the overall success of our mission.”
Rangel also emphasized the vital role Native Americans play in the fulfillment of Tinker’s overall mission. “Native Americans serve here at Tinker every day, and it’s important to remember their contributions in defense of our nation. Recognizing individual stories of Native American service members highlights the diversity of our force. The Tinker Air Force Base continues to reach out to all members of our community to ensure everyone feels welcomed and included by appreciating and celebrating the diversity within our community.”
For more information, visit https://www.tinker.af.mil
