Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

1. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial

Inscription.
[Main monument]

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty … – President John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961

[First side monument]
The Hanoi Hilton This brick is a piece of the infamous “Hanoi Hilton”. The Hanoi Hilton was used as a place for the North Vietnamese army to torture and interrogate captured soldiers, mostly Americans, mainly pilots shot down during bombing raids. When prisoners of war began to be released from this and other North Vietnamese prisons in the late 1960s and early 1970s, their testimonies revealed widespread and systematic abuse of all American prisoners of war. With this brick we can be assured that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

[Plaque next to brick]
Hoa Lo (Fire Oven)
“The Hanoi Hilton” Built in 1899 by French colonials, from 1965 until “Operation Homecoming” in 1973 the prison held U.S. POWs. They nicknamed it “Hanoi Hilton” and it is remembered still as a symbol of American courage during captivity. It was

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

partially destroyed in 1995 for commercial development.

[Second side monument]
Prisoner of War Code of Conduct • Article I: I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
• Article II: I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
• Article III: If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
• Article IV: If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
• Article V: When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost

Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (main monument, center & right sides) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

2. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (main monument, center & right sides)

of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
• Article VI: I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Military • War, Vietnam.

Location. 35° 26.011′ N, 97° 24.152′ W. Memorial is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in Oklahoma County. It is in Tinker Air Force Base. It can be reached from South Air Depot Boulevard south of Interstate 40, on the left when traveling south. Memorial is in Charles B. Hall Airpark at the entrance to Tinker Air Force Base. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Oklahoma City OK 73145, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (main monument, left side) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

3. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (main monument, left side)

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: B-1 “Lancer” (a few steps from this marker); AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) (within shouting distance of this marker); B-52 “Stratofortress” (within shouting distance of this marker); First Tornado Forecast (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); B-29 “Superfortress” (about 400 feet away); F-4D “Phantom II” (about 400 feet away); C-135 “Stratolifter” (about 400 feet away); Douglas Aircraft Historic Buildings (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oklahoma City.

Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (First Hanoi Hilton monument) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

4. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (First Hanoi Hilton monument)

Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (Hanoi Hilton brick) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

5. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (Hanoi Hilton brick)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

6. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (First Hanoi Hilton monument)

The top image is of the prison entrance. The bottom image is of one of the torture chambers inside the prison.

Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (Second Hanoi Hilton monument) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

7. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (Second Hanoi Hilton monument)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 21, 2025

8. Tinker Air Force Base POW/MIA Memorial (Second Hanoi Hilton monument)

The image is of American prisoners of war in the "Hanoi Hilton" prison during the Vietnam War.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on August 9, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.