Libby Klinner, the widow of 33-year-old Air Force Maj. Alex Klinner, will receive at least some of the payment she is entitled to after she was initially told that combat-related benefits were unavailable to her family because the conflict with Iran “is not technically a war,” prompting a frustrated social media post that went viral.
Maj. Klinner is one of 18 US servicemen who have lost their lives since the war against Iran started in February. He was on board the KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq in March.
Alabama airman and father of 3, Major Alex Klinner, identified as one of the six Americans who was killed when a KC-135 crashed in Iraq.
Klinner was a father to a two-and-a-half-year-old and seven-month-old twins.
His wife, Libby, posted the following on Instagram:
“On March… pic.twitter.com/oNNUYDin8Y
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 14, 2026
In addition to Klinner of Alabama, Ariana Savino, 31, of Washington; Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Kentucky; Seth Koval, 38, of Indiana; Curtis Angst, 30, of Ohio; and Tyler Simmons, 28, of Ohio lost their lives in the crash.
Klinner told the Associated Press, “My husband lost his life because we’re in a war, and then I was told that because it’s not technically a war, we lose out on something… It all comes down to principle.”
After Klinner said she was told she was ineligible for some benefits, the Air Force told her that her husband’s final paycheck would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks.
The incident grabbed the attention of US Vice President JD Vance, who promised to look into her case when asked about it during a White House briefing on Thursday.
“We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to,” Vance said. “My message to her would be, ‘We love ya, we’re grateful for the sacrifice, and we very much take very seriously our commitment to get you what you need to get.’”
Vice President Vance rejects using the word ‘war’
Despite thanking Klinner for her sacrifice, Vance went on to reject using the word “war” as a characterization of the current conflict, arguing there was “no active shooting.” The US military has conducted multiple rounds of strikes on Iran this past week, and the Islamic regime has continued to fire at Gulf states.
The Air Force acknowledged that Klinner had been provided with inaccurate information on Thursday, Klinner said, adding that she was told that her husband’s paycheck had already included, but had incorrectly itemized, the combat-related hazard pay and tax breaks.
Combat pay in the US military amounts to an additional $225 per month and is not conditioned on a formal war declaration but just that the service member be in an area where there is “grave danger of physical injury” or be “killed, injured, or wounded by a hostile fire event,” according to First Command Financial Services, a private, financial services company that provides services to members of the US forces, veterans, and their families.
In addition to his wife, Maj. Klinner left behind three children. A GoFundMe for the bereaved family, launched in the days after Maj. Klinner’s death, has raised more than $1.5 million.
Klinner has not yet responded to The Jerusalem Post’s contact request.
