Air Force widow initially denied benefits because Iran conflict was ‘not technically a war’

Libby Klinner, the widow of Air Force Maj. Alex Klinner, was initially told that her family could not receive combat-related benefits because the conflict with Iran “is not technically a war.” Her frustrated social media post went viral.

Klinner’s husband, 33, was among 18 US servicemen killed since the conflict began in February. He died in March when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq. He left behind his wife and three children. Five other service members also died in the crash: Ariana Savino, Ashley Pruitt, Seth Koval, Curtis Angst and Tyler Simmons.

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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.

“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,” Klinner told the Associated Press.

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We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to.

The Air Force later told her that her husband’s final paycheck would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks. Klinner said the payment had already included those benefits, but they had been itemized incorrectly. Combat pay amounts to an additional $225 per month and does not require a formal war declaration. It applies when a service member serves in an area of grave danger or faces hostile fire.

Vance said during a White House briefing that he wanted to ensure Klinner received everything to which she was entitled. “We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to,” he 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.’” Vance nevertheless rejected describing the conflict as a war, saying there was “no active shooting.”

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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.’