President Donald Trump paid his respects on Wednesday to six US service members killed in a plane crash in Iraq, attending a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The remains of the fallen were returned to their families in a solemn military ritual that Trump has described as the 'toughest thing' he has had to do as commander in chief.
The six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refuelling aircraft died last week when their plane crashed over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. The crash brought the US death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, with about 200 injured, including 10 severely, according to the Pentagon.
Accompanying Trump were Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers including Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both Alabama Republicans. The ceremony was closed to news media at the request of the families, in line with military policy.
The deceased were identified as Major John A. 'Alex' Klinner, 33, of Birmingham, Alabama; Captain Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Captain Seth Koval, 38, of Stoutsville, Ohio; Captain Curtis Angst, 30, of Columbus, Ohio; and Master Sergeant Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus. They hailed from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of Captain Savino, said: 'Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized.' US Central Command said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in 'friendly airspace' over Iraq, but the loss was not due to hostile or friendly fire. An investigation is ongoing.
This was the second time Trump has attended a dignified transfer since the start of the war with Iran on February 28. He previously visited Dover on March 7 for six service members killed by a drone strike in Kuwait. After that ceremony, he told reporters: 'It's the bad part of war. I hate to do it, but it's a part of war, isn't it?'
