The Department of War on Saturday released the identities of the six American service members killed in the Thursday crash of a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker in Iraq.
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged the aerial refueling tanker, crewed by six, went down over western Iraq in a statement released Friday. CENTCOM later stated the incident involved a second aircraft which landed safely, rather than hostile fire or friendly fire.
Three of the deceased were members of the Ohio Air National Guard, according to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, while another was identified by Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
“Heartbreaking to learn that Auburn alumnus and Birmingham resident Major Alex Klinner was among those killed in the KC-135 crash this week,” Tuberville stated.
Heartbreaking to learn that Auburn alumnus and Birmingham resident Major Alex Klinner was among those killed in the KC-135 crash this week.
Our state deeply grieves the loss of a father, husband, and a true patriot. I hope every Alabamian will join me in prayer for the Klinner…
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) March 14, 2026
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, Ky. of the 6th Air Refueling Wing; and 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 from the 121st Air Refueling Wing of the Ohio National Guard were identified in a statement released Saturday night.
Six other American service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a tactical operations center in Kuwait; a seventh died of wounds sustained March 1 in a Iranian attack on an American base in Saudi Arabia since President Donald Trump announced the start of Operation Epic Fury. Another American service member died from a medical incident.
The six servicemembers killed in the Feb. 28 attack in Kuwait were identified by the Department of War as Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif.
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky., died of wounds sustained during the attack March 1 at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, on March 8, according to a press release from the Department of War. Maj. Sorffly Davius, 46, from Cambria Heights in Queens, NY, died March 7 due to a medical incident at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, according to a War Department release.
The KC-135 first entered service in the United States Air Force in 1956, according to an Air Force fact sheet. It is capable of refueling aircraft both by use of a “boom” which plugs into the receiving aircraft as well as a “probe and drogue” system in which the aircraft being fueled maneuvers a probe into a drogue locking mechanism trailing the fueling aircraft to initiate the transfer.
Of the 414 KC-135s in its inventory, 167 are on active duty, the Air Force’s website states. The veteran aircraft are being replaced by the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tanker, which is based on the Boeing 767 airliner.
Normally, a KC-135 carries a crew of three: a pilot, co-pilot, and boom operator. The aircraft are not equipped with ejection seats, and the Air Force removed them from aircraft in 2008, citing the rarity of mishaps and accidents involving the type.
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Republished with permission from Daily Caller News Foundation
