{"id":10465,"date":"2026-03-15T22:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T22:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=10465"},"modified":"2026-03-15T22:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T22:51:00","slug":"the-pentagon-has-revealed-the-identities-of-six-u-s-service-members-who-tragically-lost-their-lives-in-a-devastating-plane-crash-in-iraq-turning-what-began-as-a-routine-mission-into-a-heartbreaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=10465","title":{"rendered":"The Pentagon has revealed the identities of six U.S. service members who tragically lost their lives in a devastating plane crash in Iraq, turning what began as a routine mission into a heartbreaking loss. The crew was aboard a KC-135 refueling aircraft when disaster struck in the skies over western Iraq, sending the plane crashing down and killing everyone on board. Families across the United States were left shattered as the names of the fallen airmen were finally released, each one remembered as a dedicated professional who had stepped forward to serve… WATCH BELOW \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"
The killed crew members were from around the country and were stationed at military bases in Ohio and Florida, department officials said.<\/div>\n
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WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Department of Defense has identified the\u00a0six Air Force members killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The department said those killed included:<\/p>\n

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Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Credit: Air Force Public Affairs<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Credit: Air Force Public Affairs<\/div>\n
An undated photo of Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash. (Courtesy photo)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky<\/h2>\n

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Credit: Air Force Public Affairs<\/div>\n
An undated photo of Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky. (Courtesy photo)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Credit: United States Air Force<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Credit: Air Force Public Affairs<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Credit: Air Force Public Affairs<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Klinner, Savino, and Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, the department said in a press release on Saturday. Koval, Angst, and Simmons were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Department officials said the crash is still under investigation.<\/p>\n

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The Associated Press published confirmation of Klinner and Simmons\u2019 deaths before the Pentagon confirmation after their families shared their identities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A new father and a new major<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Klinner, a graduate of Auburn University and an eight-year U.S. Air Force veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, had just moved with his family into a new home, his wife, Libby Klinner, said in an Instagram post mourning his death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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An outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking, Klinner was also ready to help others. When Harrill last saw him in January, Klinner had shoveled Harrill\u2019s vehicle out of the snow during a family wedding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him,\u201d said Harrill, who helped set up a GoFundMe site for Klinner\u2019s family. \u201cHe was literally one of the most kindest, giving people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Libby Klinner said in a post that her heart is broken for their children, who will grow up not knowing their father.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThey won\u2019t get to see firsthand the way he would jump up to help in any way he could,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThey won\u2019t see how goofy and funny he was. They won\u2019t witness his selflessness, the way he thought about everyone else before himself. They won\u2019t get to feel the deep love he had for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A man with a ready smile<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Sgt. Tyler Simmons of Columbus, Ohio, also was among six service members who died Thursday in the crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker, his mother, Cheryl Simmons, confirmed on Saturday. Cheryl Simmons said she was making funeral plans for her son.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a statement obtained by WCMH-TV in Columbus, Tyler Simmons\u2019 family said it was saddened beyond measure to hear of the fatal crash.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cTyler\u2019s smile could light up any room, his strong presence would fill it. His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The killed crew members were from around the country and were stationed at military bases in Ohio and Florida, department officials said. WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Department… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10465"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10467,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10465\/revisions\/10467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}