Eight sailors assigned to Strategic Communications Wing 1 and its subordinate squadrons at Tinker Air Force Base died by suicide within one year. The deaths have brought grief, scrutiny and demands for reform from Navy families.

The seventh death occurred Dec. 9, 2025, when 20 year old sailor Thatcher Rupert sought emergency mental health care at the 72nd Medical Group clinic. Rupert was assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3, known as the Ironmen.

Rupert had struggled with depression and had been hospitalized twice during the months before his death. His parents said clinic personnel told him he would be transferred to an off base inpatient facility where he previously received suboptimal care.

While left alone awaiting additional transfer instructions, Rupert fled the clinic, traveled toward Interstate 35 and jumped from an overpass. His death prompted a major response from Navy leadership and drew attention from Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.

Three months later, Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 2nd Class Carlin Adams died by suicide in March. Known as CJ to relatives and friends, Adams became the eighth sailor from the command to die by suicide during the one year period.

Adams had previously deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and later looked forward to his Tinker assignment. He sought counseling for stress and considered leaving the Navy to save his marriage before shooting himself in front of his wife on March 24, his mother said.

Strategic Communications Wing 1 operates and supports the E-6B Mercury, a modified Boeing 707 designed to support secure communications during a nuclear weapons crisis. The aircraft enables command and control of nuclear forces by the president, War Secretary and U.S. Strategic Command.

About 1,700 active duty personnel are assigned to the wing. Lt. Kendrick Moss, an E-6B naval flight officer, said personnel work extremely long hours while preparing for a worst case mission and maintaining aircraft that are nearly 30 years old.

Air crews rotate between one month on and one month off, but Moss said personnel remain on call, train or conduct temporary duty assignments during their off periods. He said the schedule leaves less time for families than sailors aboard surface warfare vessels receive.

Rupert initially hoped to enter the Navy’s enlisted nuclear program after high school. Migraines ultimately made him ineligible, and he became a yeoman assigned to VQ-3 before moving into an off base apartment at Tinker.

His mother, Alicia Kelsey, said buying furniture and household items placed Rupert in debt while living away from the base increased his isolation. He received treatment and prescriptions for depression, but his parents’ attempts to help from a distance were not enough.

“There has to be some type of reform,” Kelsey said. “We have to protect these poor kids.”

Military suicide rates have risen steadily since 2011, although they declined between 2022 and 2024. The Navy recorded 73 suicides in 2025, compared with 59 during the previous year.

In 2024, 65% of service members who died by suicide had received a mental health diagnosis within the previous year, according to the Department of War Suicide Prevention Office. Relationship problems and workplace stressors each affected 38%, while legal issues affected 20% and financial issues affected 13%.

The Navy has responded at Tinker by adding a permanent deputy chaplain, an integrated prevention coordinator and an aerospace psychologist. Three additional chaplains are assigned through Oct. 1, 2026, while the 72nd Medical Group continues providing mental health services.

Other measures include three military and family life counselors, expanded community support groups, a wellness app pilot and a larger fiscal 2026 morale, recreation and welfare allotment. The Navy also plans marriage workshops, resiliency programs, facility upgrades and civilian billets intended to ease workloads.

The command’s investigations followed an earlier Air Force review of the first three or four deaths in 2025. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman told senators that investigators found no systemic cause and an epidemiological assistance investigation found no contagion.

The Tinker deaths unfolded as the Navy faced separate scrutiny over eight attempted suicides across the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group during a historically demanding Middle East deployment. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed that none of those eight sailors died.

Navy officials said senior Navy and Air Force leaders, chaplains, medical providers and congressional staff have visited Tinker. Kelsey does not blame one individual for Rupert’s death, but she believes the Navy failed her son and wishes he had lived among sailors his age.

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Are you feeling overwhelmed or hopeless right now? Have you been withdrawing from people or activities you usually enjoy? Are you having thoughts about hurting yourself, or feeling like things will never improve?

You do not have to handle those feelings alone. Support is available, and talking to someone can make a difference. You can reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or by chatting online at 988lifeline.org. Trained counselors are available 24 hours a day to listen and help.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call emergency services right away. Even a small step, like reaching out to a trusted friend, family member, or professional, can help create a path forward.