Ashley B Pruitt - Operation Epic Fury -- OurWarHeroes.org

Ashley B Pruitt

Bardstown, Kentucky

March 12, 2026

Age	Military	Rank	Unit/Location
34	Air Force	TSgt	6th Air Refueling Wing MacDill Air Force Base, Florida

Airmen died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq.

From Kentucky Today kentuckytoday.com 03/14/26

Soldier from Bardstown killed during refueling crash in Iraq

By MARK MAYNARD, Kentucky Today Mar 14, 2026 Updated 3 hrs ago

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (KT) - A soldier from Kentucky has been identified as one of the six U.S. soldiers inside a plane that went down in Iraq on Friday, according to the U.S. Department of War.

Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34. was from Bardstown in Nelson County.

The DoW listed the five other airmen who also died in the crash:

Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama;

Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington;

Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana;

Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and

Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 38, of Columbus, Ohio.

All six airmen were supporting Operation Epic Fury at the time of the crash. The incident is under investigation. U.S. Central Command said in a post on X early Friday that their KC-135 plane went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET Thursday in western Iraq,

Sgt. Pruitt was assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and was supporting Operation Epic Fury at the time of her death.

Congressman Andy Barr reacted to the death of Tech Sgt. Pruitt on social media.

"Praying for the family and friends of TSgt. Ashley Pruitt of Bardstown. God bless her memory and her ultimate sacrifice in Operation Epic Freedom to rid the world of the largest state sponsor of terror. Her legacy will never be forgotten."

Sg. Pruitt is the second soldier from Kentucky who has been killed during Operation Epic Fury. Sgt. Benjamin Pennington of Glendale was the other. He died on March 9 after an enemy attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

From WHAS11 TV WHAS11.com 03/14/26

US Air Force sergeant from Bardstown among six airmen killed in Iraq refueling crash
The Department of Defense identifies Tech Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt and five others killed in an Air Force refueling aircraft crash in western Iraq on Thursday.

Author: CJ Daniels
Published: 9:50 PM EDT March 14, 2026
Updated: 11:35 PM EDT March 14, 2026
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Defense has identified an Air Force member from Kentucky killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on Thursday.

Tech Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown Kentucky, were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, according to the DoD.

Pruitt was an assistance flight chief of operations and KC-135 instructor boom operator at the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama.

She oversaw aircrew readiness, training, flight operations while instructing boom operators on air refueling procedures.

Pruitt joined the Air Force in May 2017 and completed her career enlisted aviator training in Feb. 2018, followed by the initial boom operator course in July 2021.

She was deployed in various missions during her career and flew nearly 900 combat flight hours.

Pruitt was among six airmen killed.

The MacDill Air Force Base released a statement following the news.

"Our communities feel this loss deeply and Team MacDill will ensure their sacrifices and service to our nation are never forgotten. We will honor them each and every day as we continue to answer our nation's call."

Names of the other airmen who lost their lives are:

Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama
Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington
Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana
Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio
Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio

U.S. military officials said the aircraft was in “friendly” airspace, supporting operations against Iran when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred in western Iraq. The other plane landed safely.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the incident is being investigated and was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.”