Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump paid his respects Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base as the remains of six U.S. service members killed in a military aircraft crash in Iraq were returned to the United States.
The dignified transfer marked the second time since the start of the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the president attended the solemn military ritual honoring fallen troops.
War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers, including Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt of Alabama, joined the president for the ceremony.
All six crew members were killed last week when a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. The service members were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.
The ceremony was closed to news media at the request of the families, consistent with military policy. President Trump spent just under two hours at the base and did not speak with reporters before departing.
The crash raised the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to 13 service members. The Pentagon has said about 200 U.S. troops have been injured in the conflict, including 10 with severe injuries.
U.S. Central Command said the aircraft was lost after an unspecified incident involving two planes operating in friendly airspace over Iraq. Officials said the crash was “not due to hostile or friendly fire,” and the circumstances remain under investigation. The other aircraft involved landed safely.
Among those killed were Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, of Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, all assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
The other three service members were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. They were Capt. Seth Koval, 38, of Stoutsville, Ohio, originally from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, of Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.