Elmendorf General Dies Of Gunshot On Base

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Elmendorf general dies of gunshot on base
Air Force: Incident under investigation

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/477369.html

By JULIA O'MALLEY | jo'malley@adn.com
Published: July 28th, 2008 05:03 PM

The commander of the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force died of what is being described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest at his on-base home Sunday night, the Air Force said this afternoon.

The Air Force is investigating and can't say whether the shot that killed Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Tinsley was accidental or a suicide, Col. Richard Walberg said in a press conference.

Tinsley did not leave a suicide note.

Tinsley was declared dead around 10:30 p.m., according to a statement issued by the Air Force early this morning.

Elmendorf medical authorities responded, the statement says.

There was no indication of homicide, Lt. Col. Michael Paoli, an Air Force spokesman in Washington, D.C., told The Associated Press.

Tinsley served as wing commander since May 2007, overseeing nearly 7,000 people. This morning his colleagues were shocked and sad, said Kelley Jeter, a public affairs officer who worked regularly with the general.

"We're all trying to cope over here," she said. "We're trying to do our best to comfort the family and comfort one another."

Tinsley was very visible in Anchorage, participating in numerous community organizations and events. He was involved with coordinating health services for returning Iraq veterans. He helped oversee the transport of Maggie, the Alaska Zoo's elephant, to the Lower 48 last year. He was at work trying to secure funding for hangars so people servicing aircraft on base could work inside in the winter.

He was charismatic and well-liked, Jeter said.

"He knew everyone's name. The lowest-ranking airmen that worked around him, he knew their names, he knew the names of their kids, he knew who they were married to," she said.

"I loved putting him in front of a crowd."

He is survived by a wife, a daughter and a nephew.

This morning's statement quoted Col. Richard Walberg, 3rd Wing vice commander: "Elmendorf is focusing on taking care of Mrs. Tinsley and her family right now. We ask that your thoughts and prayers go out to his family as well as his Air Force family who regarded him as a mentor, leader, world-class airman and friend."

Tinsley's Air Force biography says he was a command pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours in F-15, F/A-18 and F-22A fighter jets. He previously commanded Elmendorf's 12th Fighter Squadron and the 1st Operations Group at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

Prior to his 3rd Wing assignment, he was executive officer to the chief of staff of the Air Force.

He was commissioned in 1984 through the ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. His biography says he was an F-15 instructor pilot, F-15C test pilot, wing weapons officer, exchange officer and instructor with the Royal Australian Air Force. He also has served in the Directorate for Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff and was executive assistant to the Deputy for Political-Military Affairs for Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Elmendorf's 3rd Wing flies F-22A and F-15C fighters, C-17 Globemaster cargo jets, C-12 passenger/cargo planes and E-3 AWACS, and maintains the regional medical facility for all forces in Alaska.

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BRIGADIER GENERAL THOMAS L. TINSLEY

http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=10412

Died July 27, 2008.

Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Tinsley is Commander, 3rd Wing, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. The 3rd Wing provides the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, trained and equipped tactical air supremacy assets with all-weather strike capability, command and control platforms, and strategic airlift resources for contingency operations. The wing flies the F-22A, F-15C, C-17, C-12 and E-3, and maintains a regional medical facility providing care for all forces in Alaska. The installation also hosts headquarters for the 11th Air Force, Alaskan Command and Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region as well as 41 tenant units.

General Tinsley was commissioned in 1984 through the ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and subsequently was a distinguished graduate of undergraduate pilot training. He has served as an F-15 instructor pilot, F-15C test pilot, wing weapons officer, exchange officer and instructor with the Royal Australian Air Force. He has served in the Directorate for Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff as South Asia desk officer and executive assistant to the Deputy for Political-Military Affairs for Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He has commanded the 12th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, and the 1st Operations Group, Langley AFB, Va. Prior to his current assignment, he was executive officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

The general is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours in the F-15, F/A-18 and F-22A.

EDUCATION
1984 Bachelor of Science degree in air transportation management, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Ariz.
1989 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1995 Master of Science degree in aviation science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
1998 Masters degree in national security and strategic studies, Naval Command and General Staff College, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 1984 - May 1985, student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus AFB, Miss.
2. May 1985 - January 1986, student, fighter lead-in training, Holloman AFB, N.M.
3. January 1986 - August 1988, squadron scheduler and assistant chief of training, 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Holloman AFB, N.M.
4. August 1988 - November 1988, student, 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
5. November 1988 - March 1989, instructor pilot, 555th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
6. March 1989 - January 1991, weapons officer, 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz.
7. January 1991 - October 1991, student, Fighter Weapons School Instructor Course, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. October 1991 - January 1992, weapons officer, 58th Operations Support Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
9. January 1992 - March 1994, instructor, 2nd Operational Conversion Unit, and lead air-to-air instructor, Fighter Combat Instructor Course, Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, Australia
10. March 1994 - May 1997, test pilot and Chief, Tactics Documentation Division, 422nd Tactical Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. May 1997 - July 1998, student, Naval Command and General Staff College, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
12. July 1998 - February 2000, South Asia desk officer, Directorate for Plans and Policy (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
13. February 2000 - August 2000, executive assistant to the Deputy for Political-Military Affairs for Asia, Pacific and the Middle East, Directorate for Plans and Policy (J5), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. August 2000 - November 2001, Director of Operations, 12th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
15. November 2001 - June 2003, Commander, 12th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
16. June 2003 - June 2004, Secretary of Defense Fellow, General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz.
17. July 2004 - August 2005, Commander, 1st Operations Group, Langley AFB, Va.
18. August 2005 - May 2007, executive officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. May 2007 - present, Commander, 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,200
Aircraft flown: F-15A-D, F/A-18A and F-22A

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Aerial Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant April 27, 1984
First Lieutenant April 27, 1986
Captain April 27, 1988
Major Dec. 1, 1995
Lieutenant Colonel Sept. 1, 1998
Colonel June 1, 2004
Brigadier General Frocked

(Current as of February 2008)

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Elmendorf commander dies of gunshot wound

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123108306

7/28/2008 - ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) -- Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Tinsley, commander of the 3rd Wing here, died of a gunshot wound July 27 at his on-base residence.

Elmendorf medical authorities responded and General Tinsley was declared dead at approximately 10:30 pm July 27. The general had served as the wing commander here since May 2007.

"I'd like to express my personal grief at the death of one our nation's finest Airmen, Brig. Gen. Thomas Tinsley, and to offer my profound sympathy to his wife Joanna and their family." said Gen. Carrol H. "Howie" Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander.

"General Tinsley was a true leader and Airmen warrior and his untimely death is a loss to the Air Force and the nation as well as to his family."

General Tinsley was commissioned in 1984 through the ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and subsequently was a distinguished graduate of undergraduate pilot training. He has served as an F-15 instructor pilot, F-15C test pilot, wing weapons officer, exchange officer and instructor with the Royal Australian Air Force.

He has served in the Directorate for Plans and Policy on the Joint Staff as South Asia desk officer and executive assistant to the Deputy for Political-Military Affairs for Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He has commanded the 12th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, and the 1st Operations Group, Langley AFB, Va.

The incident is under investigation and more information will be provided as it becomes available.