President Donald Trump paid tribute Wednesday at a Delaware military base where the remains of six U.S. service members killed in a refueling plane crash were returned to their families.
It will be the second time a Republican president has attended a solemn military ceremony known as an honorary transfer since he launched a war with Iran on Feb. 28, which he once described as the “toughest thing” to do as commander in chief.
Trump was accompanied by Alabama Republicans including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Don Kaine and Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt.
All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling plane were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They are from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.
“Every person on that plane carried a weight that most Americans will never see, and they carried it with a level of professionalism, courage and quiet excellence that deserves recognition,” retired Lt. Col. Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of the slain, said in a text message Wednesday.
The crash brought the US death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 US service members were injured, including 10 seriously, the Pentagon said.
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Wednesday’s dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families, in accordance with Army policy. Trump spent just over two hours on the ground and did not speak to reporters as he left or returned to Air Force One.
Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six US service members killed in a drone attack on a command center in Kuwait. Flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles as they waited to be taken to the base’s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.
“This is the worst part of the war,” he later told reporters. Asked if he worries about making several trips to the base for extra honor transfers as the war continues, he said, “I sure do. I hate to do it, but it’s a part of war, isn’t it?”
US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but said the loss of the aircraft was “not due to hostile or friendly fire” during combat operations. The circumstances are under investigation. Another plane landed safely.
The crash killed three men assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida: Major John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Lynsey Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.
Klinner, who leaves behind a wife, 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steadfast command and no-nonsense nature, as well as his willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up a room. Savino was a friend, mentor and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who serves as her family spokesman.
“She had this warmth that made you see her, the energy she showed in everything she touched, and that spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.”
The other three are 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 is from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, Columbus.
Koval dreamed of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of everything”. Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and a “genuine love of people.” Simmons loved confiding in her 85-year-old grandmother and working with her, as Sen. Bernie Moreno honored Ohio airmen on the Senate floor. John Husted said Tuesday.
“To the mother and father of these three young soldiers, I can’t process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions you’re going through,” Moreno said. “Know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifices made by your brave young sons.”
© 2026 The Canadian Press
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