US Military Identifies Two Service Members Killed in Iraq Aircraft Crash

The US military has identified two of the six service members who died when a KC-135 Stratotanker crashed over Iraq on March 12. Major Alex Klinner, 33, from Birmingham, Alabama, had recently been promoted and deployed less than a week before the incident. He is survived by his wife and three young children, including seven-month-old twins and a two-year-old son.

Sergeant Tyler Simmons of Columbus, Ohio, was also among the deceased. His family described him as someone whose "smile could light up any room" and whose "strong presence would fill it."

The crash occurred in western Iraq during Operation Epic Fury, a campaign against Iran. US Central Command confirmed that the incident was not due to hostile or friendly fire and involved two KC-135 aircraft; the second plane landed safely.

Three of the deceased were members of the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing. The KC-135, in service since the 1960s, is a midair refueling aircraft that has faced scrutiny over reliability due to its age and past accidents.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth honored the fallen crew, stating, "War is hell. War is chaos. And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen. American heroes, all of them."

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.