BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Funeral arrangements have been released for the second of two Kentucky service members killed supporting the Iran war.
What You Need To Know
Tech Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown was one of six airmen killed March 12 in a KC-135 Stratotanker crash in western Iraq
A dignified transfer, visitation and funeral services are planned in Bardstown April 9-11
Pruitt, a Nelson County High School JROTC alum, served at multiple bases and became a boom instructor mentoring younger airmen
She was the second Kentuckian killed in Operation Epic Fury, following Sgt. Benjamin Pennington of Glendale
According to her obituary, Tech Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, will arrive Thursday, April 9, at 11 a.m. at Samuels Field Airport in Bardstown for a dignified transfer and escort to Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home, located at 1475 New Shepherdsville Road in Bardstown.
Her visitation is scheduled for Friday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home. Funeral services will take place the next day, Saturday, April 11, at 11 a.m. at New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery.
Pruitt was one of six Air Force airmen who died March 12 in a KC-135 Stratotanker crash in western Iraq. She and two others were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida; the three other airmen were with the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.
Pruitt attended Nelson County High School and was an active member of its JROTC program, her obituary said. She then attended the University of Louisville as part of the ROTC program before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 2017.
Her journey also took her to Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma and Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base in Alabama.
“Through her dedication and expertise, she rose to the rank of Technical Sergeant and became a boom instructor, mentoring and shaping the next generation of airmen,” Pruitt’s obituary said. “She was widely regarded as a fierce, a true force of nature and radiant — someone who could light up any room she entered. Her determination, paired with a genuine sincerity in how she carried herself, earned her trust and respect far beyond her rank.”
Pruitt is survived by her husband, Greg Pruitt; her daughter, Emilia; her stepson, Ollie; her parents, Patrick and Grace Young; her brother, Technical Sgt. Blake Young and her paternal grandmother, JoAnn Myers.
She was the second Kentuckian to die in Operation Epic Fury. Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, died from his wounds March 8 during Iran’s initial attacks across the Middle East; he was from Glendale in Hardin County.