The Air Force has initiated a review of pay and benefits for the widow of a service member killed during a combat mission in the Middle East after her frustrations regarding the status of those payments went viral. Libby Klinner shared on Instagram that a military official informed her that her family was ineligible for certain combat-related benefits because “we were not at war.” Per AP News, the post went viral, leading to direct involvement from the administration.
Libby’s husband was Major John “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served as chief of squadron standardizations and evaluations at an air base in Birmingham, Alabama. He was one of six crew members killed when their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran in March. Military.com reported that Klinner died when his aircraft was involved in an unspecified incident with a second plane while both were flying over friendly territory.
