13 US service members have died in the war with Iran. Here are their stories

By Alaa Elassar, Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN

(CNN) — Some of Mary Ellen Klinner’s happiest memories were of watching her son outdoors — camping, hiking and spending long days beside his father — and later seeing him become a devoted dad to three young children of his own.

But since her son Maj. John ‘Alex’ Klinner was killed in the Iran war, those memories have become both a comfort and a painful reminder of the “nightmare” her life has felt like in the past couple of months.

John Klinner is one of the 13 US troops killed in connection with Operation Epic Fury, the name the Pentagon has given to the war with Iran. He died alongside five other crew members who were aboard a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft when it crashed on March 12 in western Iraq.

Earlier that month, six other service members were killed on March 1 after an Iranian strike in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port. A service member died March 8 following an attack by Iran on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

“If any of their deaths mean anything – then please, do not look away,” Klinner’s aunt Jean Marie Dillon wrote on Facebook. “Military lives are not expendable. The people who decide when and where we go to war answer to us.”

President Donald Trump has said meeting with some of the fallen soldiers’ families did not give him pause about the war. He and senior officials have made clear there would likely be more casualties.

Approximately 400 service members have been wounded in action during Operation Epic Fury, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesperson, told CNN. The vast majority of injuries suffered were minor and 90% of service members returned to duty, Hawkins said.

At least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel began strikes on the country, according to state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. One strike killed at least 168 children.

As families of service members still deployed overseas wait anxiously for the war to end, the loved ones of the 13 who were killed are mourning not only the soldiers lost but the vibrant, deeply loved people they were beyond the uniform.

Maj. John ‘Alex’ Klinner

When asked if he has a favorite memory of his son — a beloved husband and father of a 2-year-old and 7-month-old twins — John Klinner pauses.

“Gosh, there’s so many,” he told CNN. “Alex and I did a lot of camping trips. He loved the outdoors, and so we would go up to North Carolina every summer for years and just camped at this beautiful place. I’ve got a lot of good memories from those trips.”

Klinner was “the perfect son, the perfect child,” Mary Ellen says quietly in a classic Southern twang as the pair sit in their Alabama home.

Just a day ago, they visited their grandchildren, who will now grow up without a father. “We’re heartbroken that he won’t be there for them,” John Klinner says. “He loved those children.”

His loss “has left an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved him,” according to a GoFundMe page organized to raise funds to support his family following his death.

“He was just very devoted to his family and community and to the Air Force. He loved flying, he was very passionate about that,” his father said. “He loved life. He was just a wonderful person and cared about others and always put others before himself.”

Klinner served as a major in the Air Force for eight years, his family said. As the 99th Air Refueling Squadron’s chief of standardization and evaluation, Klinner oversaw the training and flight proficiency of more than 30 aircrew members, helping prepare pilots for missions, according to the Air Force.

Capt. Ariana G. Savino

For Ariana G. Savino, flying was more than a job to her — it was her greatest passion, alongside mentoring “the next generation of youth, women, and minorities” in aviation and military service.

The 31-year-old was a “fierce, brave, passionate” woman with a smile and laugh that could transform the atmosphere of any room she entered, her family said in a statement shared with CNN affiliate KOMO News after she was killed in the Iraq crash.

Savino, of Covington, Washington, served as chief of current operations for the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, overseeing the unit’s daily flight schedule and coordinating its training and missions, according to the Air Force.

She earned her wings as a KC-135 pilot after completing her training last year but had been serving in the military since 2017, working her way up from standardization and evaluation officer to flight commander, the Air Force said.

As a Puerto Rican, Savino was “very, very proud of her heritage” and came from a family of service members, her friend retired Lt. Col. Ernesto Nisperos told CNN.

Savino had a sweet but strong personality, Nisperos said, and had followed in the footsteps of her father, who was a pilot for Alaska Airlines.

“In a lot of ways, you know, she was trying to be like dad. It was important for her to continue a legacy in her family,” he said.

Her family is starting an aviation scholarship for Latino youth and women who are interested in aviation, Nisperos said, to honor Savino’s mission to be a role model and help people with the same dream she had.

Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons

Just a day before he was killed in the Iraq crash, Tyler Simmons told his father he didn’t think he was coming back, Charles Mylo Simmons said in an interview with CNN, recalling their final conversations before his son’s death.

“And I told him ‘I’m praying for you’ … I really was hoping that he was going to be wrong.”

He said his son “loved what he did, he loved his country, he loved the military,” and he “loved his family.”

“His smile would light up the room,” he said. “His personality would illuminate the whole place.”

Simmons, a military boom operator, was their only child, and his mother had once hoped he would choose a different path than the military, according to WBNS.

But his passion and drive for aviation were evident early on, his father said. Teachers, he recalled, often described him as well-mannered and disciplined, and as he grew older he became increasingly focused on his goals.

“Knowing Tyler, if he could do it all over again, he’d probably make the same decision, because he loved what he did,” Charles Mylo Simmons said. “He was just an amazing son and it was my privilege to be able to be his father.”

Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt

Ashley Pruitt’s husband told The Associated Press, resisting tears, he had one word to describe his beloved: “radiant.”

“If there was a light in the room,” Gregory Pruitt said, “she was it.”

Now, he and their two young children are left to carry that light forward after the 34-year-old boom operator of Bardstown, Kentucky, was killed in the Iraq crash.

Pruitt, who was based at MacDill Air Force Base, served as an instructor boom operator and assistant flight chief of operations with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, where she oversaw training and readiness and instructed fellow boom operators in the precise mechanics of midair refueling, according to the Air Force.

While she had dedicated nearly a decade to the military, rising steadily through the enlisted ranks, “nothing compared to the love she held for her family,” her obituary read.

“She was a devoted wife and a deeply loving mother, and those closest to her knew she was living in her happiest chapter,” the obituary said. “Her strength, warmth, and unwavering devotion created a home filled with love and laughter.”

Capt. Seth R. Koval

Seth R. Koval, 38, was living his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot and wore the uniform with purpose.

He first enlisted as a machinist with the Indiana Air National Guard in 2006 and “soon discovered a calling beyond himself,” according to his obituary. While serving, he earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation operations from Purdue University in 2011 and later transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard in 2017.

Koval was a seasoned combat pilot before he was killed in the Iraq crash and was responsible for training pilots in “worldwide air refueling, aeromedical, cargo and passenger operations,” his Air Force biography says.

His awards and decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, and Air and Space Achievement Medal, the Ohio National Guard said.

His wife, whom he met on a childhood church mission trip, wrote on Facebook Koval was “many things — loving, generous, kindhearted, smart, devoted, a fixer of all things, a real outdoorsman, and selfless.”

“He always put others before himself — until the very end. I will see him in the smile of our son and carry him with me in every moment,” Heather Nichole said.

Capt. Curtis J. Angst

As the son of a flight attendant and a private pilot, Curtis Angst seemed to be destined for flight, Rep. Dave Taylor of Ohio said in a tribute to the fallen captain.

He grew up playing with toy airplanes outside his Ohio home and his father took him up for his first flight when he was still a toddler, Taylor said.

The 30-year-old, who was part of the crew killed in the Iraq crash, earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati in 2014 and joined the military the following year as a vehicle maintenance technician, according to the Ohio National Guard.

Angst earned his undergraduate pilot training in 2022 before achieving his pilot initial qualification in 2024. He was previously deployed in 2015 to support Operation Spartan Shield, the guard said.

His awards and decorations included the Air and Space Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Meritorious Unit Award, according to the Guard.

“He was always ready to help someone else before himself. His constant smile and instantly recognizable laugh made people feel welcome, valued, and part of something bigger,” his obituary said.

Sgt. Declan Coady

Even as thousands of miles kept him away from his family in Iowa, Declan Coady stayed in touch with them by playing video games and talking for hours about anything from anime to his plans for the future.

The 20-year-old of Des Moines, Iowa, had been sending his family updates about his safety while in Kuwait so they knew something was wrong when the updates suddenly stopped, his sister Keira Coady told CNN.

“I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him,” Keira Coady said, following her brother’s death after an Iranian strike at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.

Declan Coady was a gym enthusiast, a fencer and an Eagle Scout with a love for camping in national parks, hiking, white-water rafting and exploring the outdoors with his family, according to his sister and his obituary.

He also loved his job in the Army Reserve, even when he worked around the clock while overseas, his father, Andrew Coady, told The Associated Press.

Declan Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist. Among the youngest in his class, Coady stood out to his instructors and had been recommended for a promotion, according to his father.

“He was very good at what he did,” his father said. The soldier had received several military awards, including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.

Capt. Cody Khork

Cody Khork’s life was largely defined by three things: devotion, character, and service.

Behind his sense of duty, he was a man “known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him,” his family said of the 35-year-old from Lakeland, Florida.

He was among the group of six service members killed after an Iranian strike in Kuwait.

In 2009, he enlisted in the National Guard as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist. He attended Florida Southern College, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was known in the school community for his “leadership, character, and commitment to serving others,” the university said in a statement.

Khork loved history and had a degree in political science, which showed “his sharp mind and his sincere appreciation for the principles and sacrifices that have shaped our nation,” his family said.

After graduating from college in 2014, Khork was commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve and was later deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Poland.

His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Joint Service Achievement Medal.

Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor

Nicole Amor, a 39-year-old mother to a high school senior and a fourth-grader, was just days away from returning home, her husband said.

“She was almost home,” Joey Amor told The Associated Press. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.”

The soldier, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, enlisted as an automated logistics specialist in the National Guard in 2005. She transferred to the Army Reserve a year later and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.

She was an avid gardener and enjoyed inline roller skating and bicycling with her kids, the AP reported.

“Nicole believed deeply in caring for others and in nurturing life wherever she could,” her obituary read.

To carry her spirit and continue her love for gardening, her loved ones raised funds to build a greenhouse and also created a foundation to build “spaces for the community to come together offering acts of service.”

Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens

Those who were close with Noah Tietjens knew it was rare to see him with a smile, but looks are deceiving, some of his friends told CNN.

“He was the kind of man who represented service, humility, leadership, and heart in everything he did,” said Faith Melegrito, co-owner of the Bellevue, Nebraska, studio where Tietjens spent his free time.

Martial arts were a big part of his and his family’s lives. The 42-year-old earned a double black belt in Taekwondo and Filipino martial arts and was an instructor. His wife and son also practiced.

Parallel to his dedication to martial arts was his commitment to the military and mentoring. He enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. He was in his third deployment to Kuwait and had been there in 2019 with Amor.

Army Staff Sgt. Jonn Coleman, a fellow Nebraska soldier, told CNN affiliate KETV Tietjens’ mentorship was the reason he was able to advance his military career.

“He took me under his wing and got me to where I needed to be,” Coleman said.

Tietjens’ awards and decorations also include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal.

Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien

Raised on a farm near Coggon, Iowa, Jeffrey O’Brien grew into a man of many passions: family, faith, jazz music and sports.

The 45-year-old husband and father of three was also known for his unwavering loyalty, especially to the Chicago Cubs, according to his obituary.

He was killed in Kuwait while serving in support of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, which oversees the resupply and sustainment of troops across the Middle East, the Pentagon said.

O’Brien had served in the Army Reserve for nearly two decades and received several awards but he was most proud of his children.

He loved coaching them in track, cheering at gymnastics meets, and teaching them music and theater. “Many evenings and weekends were spent at ballfields, competitions, and events, creating memories his family will carry forever,” his obituary said.

“He was not only a role model to our kids, but also a goofy and silly dad, always looking for ways to make the kids laugh,” his family said in a statement to CNN affiliate KCCI.

“We are in shock, grieving, and grappling with the reality that we have lost the most important man in our lives, and we are trying to come to terms with how we move forward,” the family said, calling O’Brien a “true hero in every sense of the word.”

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan

Robert Marzan, 54, was a mentor to young service members and often brought others in front of a whiteboard to help them “map out a life plan.”

“As I reflect, Rob was probably one of the best humans I’ve ever met,” said Connor Kuehl, a friend who met Marzan after enlisting in 2013. The late soldier helped him finish school and push him to advance in his career, Kuehl told CNN affiliate KCRA.

Marzan, from Spotsylvania, Virginia, was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa.

He served in the military for decades, first enlisting in the Army in 1990 and deployed to Croatia, Bosnia, Egypt and Kuwait throughout his career, according to the Army Reserve.

Outside of being a soldier, his sister, Elizabeth Marzan, wrote in a Facebook post he was a loving husband, father, brother, uncle and friend.

At the time of the strike, Robert Marzan was in the final two months of his deployment and his family was planning a celebration for his 55th birthday and the end of his military service, Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa said on Facebook.

Sgt. Benjamin Pennington

Benjamin “Ben” Pennington’s path to the military began early as he played Army with friends, watched the Military Channel and spent his days in a room decorated with Army prints and model planes hanging from the ceiling.

“Everyone who knew Ben well knew he was destined to be an Army man, and there was no convincing him otherwise,” his family said in the 26-year-old’s obituary.

Pennington, of Glendale, Kentucky, died on March 8 after sustaining injuries in an attack by Iran on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. He was assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, a unit within the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command.

He enlisted in 2017 when he was 18 as a unit supply specialist and was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Army said.

Outside the military, Pennington embraced hobbies and interests that kept him closely connected to home and family, according to his obituary.

A fan of Major League Baseball, he hoped to visit each of its ballparks. While stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado, he developed a love for hiking, snowboarding and skiing, and spent time exploring the state’s mountains with friends.

During trips home to Kentucky, his family said he enjoyed visiting bourbon distilleries and building his bourbon collection in recent years.

CNN’s Haley Britzky, Emma Tucker, Hanna Park, Taylor Romine, and Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report.

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