President Trump pays respects to six U.S. service members killed in Iraq plane crash
President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks to depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Trump paid his respects today at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft in Iraq were returned to their families.
One of those killed was Maj. Alex Klinner, a pilot who lived in Birmingham and was an Auburn University graduate. He was 33 years old and had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week before the crash happened.
Klinner left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins.
This photo provided by by Mary Remmes shows Maj. Alex Kilnner on Jan. 10, 2026. (Mary Remmes via AP)
Klinner was one of three people killed who were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and who Gov. Kay Ivey said were stationed in Birmingham. The other two were identified as Capt. Ariana Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.
President Trump attended the military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.
Accompanying Trump were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers including Alabama Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt.
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.
“Every 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,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message.
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.
Wednesday’s dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families in accordance with military policy. Trump spent just under two hours on the ground and didn’t speak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.
The three others who were killed 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.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
