On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Defense released the names of the six Air Force airmen killed on March 12 in the crash of a refueling plane supporting Operation Epic Fury. One casualty, Major John “Alex” Klinner, was from Auburn, Alabama.
“The six Airmen died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq,” the DOD release stated. “The incident is under investigation.”
Two more of the six, Captain Ariana Savino and Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, were also members of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, which is stationed at the Birmingham Air National Guard base.
A GoFundMe set up to support Klinner’s wife and three young children has already raised over $1.2 million. The fundraiser describes the late airman as “a devoted husband, a loving father, and the kind of person who would quietly step in to help anyone who needed it.”
Many of the state’s prominent politicians from both parties have released statements mourning Klinner, Savino and Pruitt’s deaths.
“Three of the service members who lost their lives in duty to our nation were stationed at the 117th in Birmingham,” Governor Kay Ivey said on Saturday. “They were not only outstanding Airmen. They were our neighbors—our fellow Alabamians. May their service and that of their families never be forgotten.”
Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville both released statements expressing their sorrow over the losses and entreating Alabamians to pray for the affected families.
“Wesley and I are devastated to hear of the passing of Sgt. Ashley Pruitt and Capt. Ariana Savino, two more Alabamians who paid the ultimate sacrifice while supporting operations overseas,” Britt posted. “Please join us as we continue to pray for all of our service members abroad and deeply mourn those we have lost.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones wrote that “the death of Maj. Alex Klinner is a stark reminder of Alabama’s contributions and sacrifices to our nation’s armed forces and national security.” Democratic Congresswoman Terri Sewell similarly said she was “heartbroken to learn that Maj. Alex Klinner of Birmingham, Alabama was among the six service members who lost their lives in the crash of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in Iraq.”
The March 12 crash brought the total American death toll of “Operation Epic Fury,” the ongoing war with Iran, to 13 U.S. service members. In the video announcing the start of the conflict released the morning of February 28, President Trump said “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.”
The Iranian death toll is estimated at 1,444 by the nation’s Health Ministry, including over 100 children at a girl’s school who were killed in one of the first strikes.
Since the conflict began, Sens. Britt and Tuberville have been vocal supporters of the effort. In an interview with PBS’ Geoff Bennett on March 4, Britt explained that she voted against a war powers resolution which would have limited President Trump’s ability to continue the war because “the president has the authority under Article II to conduct the strikes that he is executing right now.”
Sewell has repeatedly criticized Operation Epic Fury over the last two weeks, including by voting for the war powers resolution when it came up in the House. In a public statement explaining that vote, the Congresswoman argued “President Trump made the decision to send American service members into harm’s way without providing any evidence of a credible imminent threat to the United States, without consulting the people’s representatives in Congress, and without a plan to ensure America is not drawn into another prolonged conflict in the Middle East.”
