The widow of a U.S. service member who died during operations tied to the Iran conflict says she was initially informed that her family would not qualify for certain combat benefits because the Pentagon, led by Pete Hegseth, had not formally designated the fighting as a war.
Libby Klinner said questions about her husband’s final pay led to a painful explanation from the casualty assistance officer assigned to help her: the family, she was told, would not receive hazardous duty pay or combat-zone tax exclusions because, in the military’s official wording, “we were not at war.”
Her husband, Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, was killed on March 12 after a KC-135 refueling plane went down in western Iraq while backing U.S. missions against Iran. The Alabama-based airman, a member of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, was one of six crew members who died in the crash.
He is survived by three small 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. His military career first took the family to the Pacific Northwest before they settled in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022.
“My husband lost his life because we’re in a war,” she told the Associated Press, saying the issue was about more than money. “It all comes down to principle.”
After her remarks gained attention online, the Air Force reached out again and said her husband’s benefits had been broken down incorrectly, clarifying that combat pay and tax exclusions had actually been applied.
Klinner said officials admitted Thursday that she had been given wrong information and assured her that her family had received the full amount owed to her husband.
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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