Tragedy struck over Iraq last week as a military refuelling aircraft crashed, killing six U.S. service members. The Department of Defence has now confirmed their identities, revealing the loss hit the Ohio Air National Guard and Florida-based crews hard.
Who Were They?
- Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, Mooresville, Indiana
- Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, Wilmington, Ohio
- Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, Columbus, Ohio
- Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, Auburn, Alabama
- Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, Covington, Washington
- Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, Bardstown, Kentucky
Koval, Angst, and Simmons were part of the 121st Air Refuelling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. Klinner, Savino, and Pruitt served with the 6th Air Refuelling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Heartbreaking Reactions from Family
Simmons’ mother, Cheryl, shared a gut-wrenching moment when officers came to break the devastating news.
“When he opened the door he said, ‘Oh no,’ and I jumped up and ran in there and they were lined up out on the porch,” she recalled. “‘You got to be kidding me.'”
The Crash Details
The KC-135 refuelling plane went down on March 12 near Turaibil, close to the Iraqi-Jordanian border, during operations targeting Iran. The crew was flying over friendly territory on a combat mission when the crash occurred.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hailed the fallen as American heroes, while Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the incident is under investigation.
