The Department of Defense on Saturday identified the six crew members who died when a U.S. military aircraft crashed in Iraq last week.
Three of them were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Their names are: Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.
The other three, Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio, according to the Pentagon.
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U.S. Central Command said the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft they were on went down while flying over “friendly airspace” on March 12 during military operations. The other aircraft involved in the incident landed safely.
The aircraft was not lost due to hostile or friendly fire, U.S. Central Command said.
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Alex, Ariana and Ashley,” U.S. Air Force Col. Ed Szczepanik, 6th Air Refueling Wing commander, said in a release Saturday. “To lose a member of the Air Force family is excruciatingly painful, especially to those who know them as son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse, mom, or dad. To lose them at the same time is unimaginable. Our hearts and minds are with the family, friends and loved ones of our fallen Airmen.”
Klinner was married and had 7 month-old-twins, a boy and a girl, and a 2-year-old son, The New York Times reported. His brother-in-law, James Harrill told the outlet Klinner had been deployed to the Middle East for less than a week, and was nearly at the end of his military career.
“You could just hear the excitement in his voice about the possibilities of what was next,” Harrill said.
Simmons’ family, in a statement to WCMH in Ohio, said their hearts are “saddened beyond measure,”
“Tyler’s smile could light up any room, his strong presence would fill it,” the statement said. “His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life.”
