Flags Fly Low In Alabama Today For Fallen KC135 Aircrew

At the order of Gov. Ivey, flags are flying at half-staff across Alabama today in honor of the Birmingham based crew members who perished in the crash of their KC-135 Stratotanker in the Western Iraq on March 12th. Ivey has ordered the flags to remain at half-staff until sunset today.

Major John A. "Alex" Klinner, Major Ariano G. Savino and Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt died in the crash of the refueling aircraft as they were participating in support of "Operation Epic Fury".

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The governor issued a directive last Wednesday ordering the flags to be lowered for the personnel of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron of the 117th Air Refueling Wing based at Sumpter Smith Joint Air National Guard Base located at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport.

Six total U.S. service personnel were killed when the KC-135 collided in a mid-air incident with a second aircraft.

"To honor these brave military personnel who gave their lives in service to our country, I am directing all flags be lowered on the day of interment of Alabama native Major John A. Klinner," Ivey wrote in a memo.

Ivey honored all three crew members in her directive:

• Major John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, a resident of Trussville, Alabama and graduate of Auburn University, served as chief of squadron standardization and evaluations. An eight-year Air Force veteran, Maj. Klinner’s awards include the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Aerial Achievement Medal, and the Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster. He is survived by his wife, Libby, and their three young children.
• Major Ariana G. Savino, 31, served as chief of current operations. A native of Washington state, Maj. Savino was a graduate of Central Washington University and Air Force ROTC, with over 300 combat hours. Her awards include the Air Medal and Air Space Commendation Medal.
• Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, served as an assistant flight chief of operations. A native of Kentucky, Tech Sgt. Pruitt received two associate's degrees from the Community College of the Air Force and had over 900 combat flight hours. She is survived by her husband, Gregory, a young daughter and stepson.

The collision is still under U.S. Air Force investigation.