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<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNOW IS THE TIME TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS IN OUR FREE APP SO YOU DON\u2019T MISS ANYTHING BREAKING INTO OUR NEWSROOM. THE THREE ALABAMA BASED U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED WHEN A REFUELING JET WENT DOWN IN WESTERN IRAQ, RETURNED TO U.S. SOIL. TODAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL ATTEND THE DIGNIFIED TRANSFER AT DOVER AIR FORCE BASE OF THE SIX U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS THAT WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH AT 1225 THIS AFTERNOON, MAJOR ALEX KLINGER, TECH SERGEANT ASHLEY PRUITT AND CAPTAIN ARIANA SAVINO ALL HAVE TIES TO ALABAMA. THIS IS THE SECOND T\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Trump pays respects to 6 US airmen, including 3 based in Alabama, killed in Iraq plane crash<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 12:51 PM CDT Mar 18, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tPresident Donald Trump is set to pay his respects on Wednesday at a military base when the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft are returned to their families.It will be the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president will attend the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the \u201ctoughest thing\u201d he has had to do as commander in chief.All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.\u201cEvery person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,\u201d retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base\u2019s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.\u201cIt\u2019s the bad part of war,\u201d he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, \u201cI\u2019m sure. I hate to do it, but it\u2019s a part of war, isn\u2019t it?\u201dU.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in \u201cfriendly airspace\u201d over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was \u201cnot due to hostile or friendly fire.\u201d The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt\u2019s husband described her as a \u201cradiant\u201d woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and \u201csource of positive energy\u201d who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.\u201cShe had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark \u2014 that spice \u2014 that made her unforgettable,\u201d Nisperos said. \u201cIf you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.\u201dThe three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous \u201cfixer of all things.\u201d Angst\u2019s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and \u201ca genuine love for people.\u201d Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.\u201cTo the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can\u2019t even process what you\u2019re going through. I can\u2019t even imagine the emotions that you\u2019re feeling,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cJust know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.\u201d The ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware is scheduled for 12:25 p.m. Central.Col. Mike Adams, commander of the 117th Air Refueling Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard in Birmingham, will attend.Also attending from the 99th Air Refueling Squadron are Lt. Col. Chad Murray, commander; Chief Master Sgt. Joel Ellis, senior enlisted leader; and Master Sgt. Jared Webster, first sergeant.Other members of the 99th have taken leave and traveled on their own to attend, according to the 117th.>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> is set to pay his respects on Wednesday at a military base when the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft<\/a> are returned to their families.<\/p>\n It will be the second time<\/a> since launching the war with Iran<\/a> on Feb. 28 that the Republican president will attend the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the \u201ctoughest thing\u201d he has had to do as commander in chief.<\/p>\n All six crew members<\/a> of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,\u201d retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.<\/p>\n The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.<\/p>\n Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members<\/a> who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base\u2019s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the bad part of war,\u201d he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, \u201cI\u2019m sure. I hate to do it, but it\u2019s a part of war, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in \u201cfriendly airspace\u201d over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was \u201cnot due to hostile or friendly fire.\u201d The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.<\/p>\n The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing<\/a> at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.<\/p>\n Klinner, who left behind a wife<\/a>, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt\u2019s husband described her as a \u201cradiant\u201d woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and \u201csource of positive energy\u201d who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.<\/p>\n \u201cShe had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark \u2014 that spice \u2014 that made her unforgettable,\u201d Nisperos said. \u201cIf you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.\u201d<\/p>\n