The widow of an American service member who died during U.S. operations tied to the Iran conflict says her family was told they would not qualify for certain combat benefits because the Pentagon, led by Pete Hegseth, has not formally designated the mission as a war.
Libby Klinner said the issue surfaced after she raised questions about her husband’s final military paycheck. According to her, the casualty assistance officer assigned to help the family after his death explained that they would not receive hazard duty pay or combat-zone tax exemptions because, as she recalled being told, “we were not at war.”
Her husband, Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, was killed on March 12 when a KC-135 refueling plane went down in western Iraq while supporting U.S. operations against Iran. Based in Alabama with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, Klinner was one of six crew members who died in the crash.
He is survived by the couple’s three young children: a two-year-old son and twins who were just seven months old at the time of his death.
Libby and Alex married in 2019. She later moved to the Pacific Northwest for his military career before the family settled in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022.
‘My husband lost his life because we’re in a war,’ she told the Associated Press. ‘It all comes down to principle.’
After her statement circulated online, the Air Force contacted her again and said it had itemized her husband’s benefits incorrectly, and that combat pay and tax exclusions were in fact included.
Klinner said officials acknowledged on Thursday they had provided her inaccurate information and confirmed she had received everything her husband was owed.
Libby Klinner said that when she questioned her husband’s final paycheck, the officer assigned to support her after his death told her the family would not receive hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks because ‘we were not at war’
Major Alex Klinner, 33, died on March 12 when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting US operations against Iran. The Alabama-based airman served with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron and was among six crew members killed in the crash
Trump’s Iran war has now lasted more than six months and claimed the lives of 18 American service members
A formal war declaration is not required for hostile fire or imminent danger pay, which can reach $225 a month under military rules.
‘No Gold Star family should have to become an expert in government language to understand what they are entitled to,’ she said in a statement.
‘Alex understood the risks that came with his service, and he trusted that if the worst happened, his family would be taken care of.’
She said grieving families should get clear answers about their entitlements from the start.
Vice President JD Vance was pressed about her case at Thursday’s White House briefing, when a CNN reporter asked him to make sure the family received its benefits.
Vance asked for Klinner’s name and promised the administration would contact her directly after the briefing.
‘We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to,’ he said.
Elsewhere in the briefing, Vance disputed calling the Iran conflict a war, saying there was ‘no active shooting’, although he acknowledged places where fighting had flared up.
Major Klinner left behind three young children; a two-year-old son and twins who were seven months old when he died
Vance asked for Klinner’s name and promised the administration would contact her directly after the Thursday briefing at the White House
The war has now lasted more than six months and claimed the lives of 18 American service members.
Senior commanders warned Hegseth that prolonged Iran operations could weaken US defenses elsewhere, including at home, the Washington Post reported last week.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
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