U.S. Department of War
03/14/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/15/2026 19:05
DoW Identifies Air Force Casualties
The Department of War announced the death of six Air Force Airmen who were supporting Operation Epic Fury.
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., were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. 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 were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio.
The six Airmen died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq. The incident is under investigation.
For information regarding Maj. John A. Klinner, Capt. Ariana G. Savino, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, members of the media may contact the 6th Air Refueling Wing, Public Affairs, at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., at (813) 828-2217 or by email at [email protected].
For information regarding Capt. Seth R. Koval, Capt. Curtis J. Angst and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, members of the media may contact the Ohio Air National Guard Public Affairs office at (614) 506-3490 or by email at [email protected] or [email protected].
U.S. Department of War published this content on March 14, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 16, 2026 at 01:05 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]