Widow Denied Combat Pay Because Iran "Isn't War"
Widow Denied Combat Pay Because Iran "Isn't War"
The News
The widow of an Air Force major killed supporting US operations against Iran says she was denied combat benefits because the Pentagon does not classify the conflict as a war.
Libby Klinner said the officer assigned to support her after her husband's death told her the family would not receive hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks because "we were not at war," the Daily Mail reported.
Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, of Alabama, died March 12 when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq. He is one of 18 US servicemen killed since the war with Iran began in February, according to the Jerusalem Post.
After her account went viral, the Air Force told Klinner it had given her inaccurate information.
The Money
Hostile fire and imminent danger pay runs to $225 a month and does not require a formal declaration of war — only that the service member be in an area of "grave danger of physical injury" or be killed or wounded by hostile fire, according to First Command Financial Services, a private firm that advises military families, cited by the Jerusalem Post.
Timeline
The war with Iran begins. Eighteen US servicemen have been killed since, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Maj. Alex Klinner dies when a KC-135 tanker crashes in western Iraq while supporting US operations against Iran. He served with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron and was one of six crew members killed. The others were Ariana Savino, 31, of Washington; Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Kentucky; Seth Koval, 38, of Indiana; Curtis Angst, 30, of Ohio; and Tyler Simmons, 28, of Ohio.
A GoFundMe for the family raises more than $1.5 million. Klinner questions her husband's final paycheck and is told the family is not entitled to hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks.
Vice President JD Vance is asked about her case at a White House briefing by a CNN reporter and promises the administration will contact her. The same day, Klinner says, the Air Force acknowledges it gave her inaccurate information and tells her the combat pay and tax exclusions were in fact included in the paycheck but itemized incorrectly.
Reactions
"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… It all comes down to principle," Klinner told the Associated Press.
In a statement quoted by the Daily Mail, she said: "No Gold Star family should have to become an expert in government language to understand what they are entitled to." She added: "Alex understood the risks that came with his service, and he trusted that if the worst happened, his family would be taken care of."
Vance told reporters: "We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to." He added: "My message to her would be, 'We love ya, we're grateful for the sacrifice, and we very much take very seriously our commitment to get you what you need to get.'"
In the same briefing, Vance rejected calling the Iran conflict a war, saying there was "no active shooting," while acknowledging places where fighting had flared up. The Jerusalem Post notes the US military has conducted multiple rounds of strikes on Iran in the past week and that Iran has continued firing at Gulf states.
What's Next
The Air Force says Klinner's benefits were included in her husband's final paycheck and were only listed wrong; the Daily Mail reports she said officials confirmed she had received everything her husband was owed. The Jerusalem Post describes the outcome as partial payment of what she is entitled to.
Klinner has said grieving families should get clear answers about their entitlements from the start — an implicit demand for a fix to how casualty officers brief Gold Star families.
The Daily Mail says it has asked the Pentagon for comment. The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has not formally classified the Iran conflict as a war.
More
Maj. Klinner left behind three young children: a two-year-old son and twins who were seven months old when he died. He and Libby married in 2019 and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022.
The conflict has now lasted more than six months. Senior commanders warned Hegseth that prolonged Iran operations could weaken US defenses elsewhere, including at home, the Washington Post reported last week, according to the Daily Mail.
Poll
Should combat benefits depend on whether the government calls a conflict a war?
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