This article’s accompanying audio is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, an organization that commemorates and champions our military personnel, space professionals, and their loved ones. Discover additional information at afa.org
Two of the six aviators who perished in a KC-135 accident in western Iraq on March 12 have been posthumously elevated in rank by the Air Force.
The rank of major was conferred upon Captain Ariana Savino, with an effective date of January 23, according to an email sent to Air & Space Forces Magazine by a representative of the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Savino, aged 31, hailed from Covington, Wash., and piloted a KC-135 aircraft.
Furthermore, the Ohio National Guard verified to Air & Space Forces Magazine that Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons, a boom operator originating from Columbus, Ohio, has received a posthumous advancement to master sergeant.
At the time of the mishap, these service members were assisting Operation Epic Fury, an event presumed to have arisen from an in-flight impact. Another KC-135 successfully touched down in Israel, even though pictures depicted considerable harm to its rear section.
President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, observed a respectful transfer service for the half-dozen aviators on the eighteenth of March at Dover Air Force Base, located in Delaware.
Top Row: Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio
Bottom Row:
Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky.
Photo courtesy of the National Guard Bureau
On March 19, at a Pentagon media conference, Hegseth and Caine offered commendations to the aviators and analogous personnel who manage aerial refueling aircraft.
“They cherished membership in an exceptional squad and crew; they also possessed a profound love for aircraft and the realm of flight,” stated Caine. He continued, “Truly, our nation’s tanker personnel stand as uncelebrated valiant figures, remarkable fighters who jeopardize their lives so we can maintain engagement with hostile forces.”
Hegseth recounted, “The preceding day at Dover Air Force Base, President Trump, the Chairman, and I observed a moment of grave stillness as valiant individuals returned, encased in flag-covered coffins. We paid them homage. We mourned alongside their kin and offered an ear.”
The accompanying audio for this piece is provided by the Air & Space Forces Association, which venerates and assists our service members, space professionals, and their families. Learn further details at afa.org