U.S. widow outraged after administration refuses to pay her slain husband’s full pension

Libby Klinner had to protest publicly before the U.S. administration agreed to pay the full pension owed after her husband’s death in a Middle East operation.

Her husband, 33-year-old Air Force commander Alex Klinner, died in March when a KC-135 tanker aircraft crashed in western Iraq during an operation supporting actions against Iran. Five other service members also died. He left behind his wife and their three children.

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My husband lost his life because of war, and then I was told that because it is not technically a war, we lose something.

The administration initially decided that Klinner, who had served eight years in the Air Force, did not qualify for some benefits linked to her husband’s military pension. The reason given was that Congress had not formally classified the conflict with Iran as a war. According to information cited from the Associated Press, she would have received only half of the combat pension normally paid to the family of a service member killed in wartime. The amount was $225 a month.

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I want to make sure she gets everything she is entitled to. I will tell her: we love you, we are grateful for the sacrifice, and we take very seriously our commitment to give you what you need.

The Defense Department said eligibility for the pension depends on whether a service member is in an area presenting a “grave danger of physical injury” or has been “killed, wounded or affected by enemy fire”. Klinner told the AP, “My husband lost his life because of war, and then I was told that because it is not technically a war, we lose something.”

At a White House briefing, Vice President JD Vance said he wanted to provide her with every possible form of assistance. Army officials later spoke with Klinner and acknowledged that the payment had been calculated incorrectly, excluding the risk allowance and tax benefits. She was notified that she would receive the full pension and benefits due to her husband. The government also announced a new “overseas operations” category covering military deaths in the Middle East conflict. Vance did not acknowledge the ex...

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grave danger of physical injury