Widow says officer told her ‘we were not at war’
The Air Force has clarified this week that the final paycheck of Maj. Alex Klinner would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks, after his widow’s social media post about the initial denial drew widespread attention, according to The Associated Press.
Libby Klinner told the AP that a military officer assigned to support her after her husband’s death told her he was ineligible for the benefits because “we were not at war.”
“My husband lost his life because we’re in a war, and then I was told that because it’s not technically a war, we lose out on something,” Klinner told the AP. “It all comes down to principle.”
Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, was one of six crew members aboard a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq in March while supporting operations against Iran, the AP reported. He is among 18 U.S. service members killed, along with 790 wounded, since the war began more than six months ago, the AP said.
The Air Force reached out to Libby Klinner this week to clarify that her husband’s final paycheck would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks, the AP reported. The conversation followed the widow’s public airing of frustration over what she had been told about his eligibility.