DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DELAWARE — President Donald Trump attended a dignified transfer ceremony on March 18, 2026 at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as the remains of six U.S. service members killed in a refueling aircraft crash were returned to their families.

A KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft crashed over western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. Six crew members on board the KC-135 refueling aircraft were killed in the crash, which occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq.

Upon landing at Dover Air Force Base, Trump was greeted by Col. Jamil Musa, Commander of the 436th Airlift Wing, and Col. Martha "Jeannie" Sasnett, Commander of Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations. The dignified transfer ceremony was closed to the press.

U.S. Central Command said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in friendly airspace over Iraq and was not due to hostile or friendly fire. The other aircraft involved landed safely and the circumstances of the crash were under investigation.

The crash killed three crew members assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. "Alex" Klinner, Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt. Three crew members assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio were also killed: Capt. Seth Koval, Capt. Curtis Angst, and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons.

The six crew members killed were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Washington state. The crash increased the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, with about 200 U.S. service members injured in the conflict, including 10 severely injured, according to the Pentagon.

Retired Lt. Col. Ernesto Nisperos 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." Nisperos described Ariana Linse Savino as a "source of positive energy."

Sen. Bernie Moreno said, "To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can't even process what you're going through. I can't even imagine the emotions that you're feeling." Moreno said, "Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made."

Trump said, "It's the bad part of war." Trump said, "I'm sure. I hate to do it, but it's a part of war, isn't it?"

The United States launched a war with Iran on February 28, 2026. Trump had previously traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7, 2026 for a dignified transfer of six U.S. service members killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait.