DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) 鈥� President paid his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base where the remains of six U.S. service members killed in were returned to their families.
It was since launching on Feb. 28 that the Republican president attended the solemn military ritual known as which he once described as the 鈥渢oughest thing鈥� he has had to do as commander in chief.
Accompanying Trump were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers including Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both Alabama Republicans.
of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.
鈥淓very 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,鈥� retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.
The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.
Wednesday’s dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families in accordance with . Trump spent just under two hours on the ground and didn’t speak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it.
Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base’s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.
鈥淚t’s the bad part of war,鈥� he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, 鈥淚’m sure. I hate to do it, but it’s a part of war, isn’t it?鈥�
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in 鈥渇riendly airspace鈥� over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was 鈥渘ot due to hostile or friendly fire.鈥� The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.
The crash killed assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. 鈥淎lex鈥� Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.
Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt鈥檚 husband described her as a 鈥渞adiant鈥� woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and 鈥渟ource of positive energy鈥� who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.
鈥淪he had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark 鈥� that spice 鈥� that made her unforgettable,鈥� Nisperos said. 鈥淚f you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.鈥�
were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.
Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous 鈥渇ixer of all things.鈥� Angst鈥檚 family said his life was defined by service, generosity and 鈥渁 genuine love for people.鈥� Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.
鈥淭o the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can鈥檛 even process what you鈥檙e going through. I can鈥檛 even imagine the emotions that you鈥檙e feeling,鈥� Moreno said. 鈥淛ust know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.鈥�
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Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.
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