WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The widow of an airman killed on a combat mission in the Middle East said it took a viral social media post to get resolution from the Pentagon on issues related to her husband\u2019s benefits and basic pay months after his death.<\/p>\n
Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, was one of six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq in March while supporting operations against Iran. He\u2019s one of 18 U.S. service members killed, along with 790 wounded, since the war began more than six months ago.<\/p>\n
The Air Force reached out to his widow, Libby Klinner, this week to clarify that his final paycheck would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks. This occurred after she voiced frustration on social media at being told by a military officer assigned to support her after her husband\u2019s death that he was ineligible for those benefits because \u201cwe were not at war.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband lost his life because we\u2019re in a war, and then I was told that because it\u2019s not technically a war, we lose out on something,\u201d Klinner told the Associated Press. \u201cIt all comes down to principle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump administration is rejecting the \u2018war\u2019 label for current Iran operations<\/p>\n
Her post, made over the weekend, gained national attention. Vice President JD Vance promised to look into her case after being asked about it during a White House briefing on Thursday. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to,\u201d Vance said. \u201cMy message to her would be, \u2018We love ya, we\u2019re grateful for the sacrifice and we very much take very seriously our commitment to get you what you need to get.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to a separate question, Vance rejected the use of the word \u201cwar\u201d to characterize U.S. fighting in Iran, saying that \u201cthere is no active shooting.\u201d The military has launched strikes against targets in Iran twice this week, and Iran has retaliated by firing on U.S. allies in the Gulf.<\/p>\n
On Friday, President Trump called U.S. strikes \u201cintermittent\u201d and defended Vance\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI call it a military conflict because it\u2019s small potatoes for us,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n
In late July, the Trump administration created a new, separate category in the Pentagon\u2019s casualty count system for those killed and wounded in renewed U.S.-Iran fighting. Pentagon officials said the change was necessary because \u201cOperation Epic Fury,\u201d the original name for combat operations against Tehran, had ended. Since July 7, all U.S. casualties in the Middle East have been tallied under \u201cOverseas Operations.\u201d <\/p>\n
Widow says the Air Force has clarified the issues about her husband\u2019s pay<\/p>\n
Libby Klinner said Air Force officials contacted her this week to say they were initiating a review of her husband\u2019s pay. The Air Force acknowledged to her Thursday that it had initially provided inaccurate information and clarified that she was receiving the full pay and benefits her husband was owed, she said.<\/p>\n
She said she was told that her husband\u2019s paycheck had already included but incorrectly itemized the combat-related hazard pay and tax breaks.<\/p>\n