US Air Force Widow Says Pentagon Initially Withheld Benefits

By Staff, Agencies

A US Air Force widow says the Pentagon initially withheld benefits owed to her family after her husband was killed in the US war on Iran, citing the absence of a formal declaration of war by Congress.

Libby Klinner said her husband, Major Alex Klinner, 33, died in March alongside five other crew members when their KC-135 refueling aircraft was shot down in western Iraq during a mission supporting US military operations against Iran.

When Klinner later applied for additional survivor benefits, military officials told her she was not entitled to them because Congress had not formally declared a 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 Associated Press, saying the issue was ultimately about basic fairness for her family.

Her account spread widely online, drawing attention to Washington's decision not to formally characterize its ongoing military campaign against Iran as a war despite mounting US casualties.

Washington has acknowledged that 18 US troops have been killed and 780 wounded since the conflict began more than six months ago.

Military families have also raised concerns that the Pentagon is understating casualties and declining to formally designate some wounded personnel as combat casualties, an accusation rejected by the US Army.

Following public pressure, the Air Force acknowledged that its initial response to Klinner was inaccurate.

It said her husband's final pay had included hazard pay and $225 in monthly combat compensation, benefits that officials said were not actually dependent on a congressional declaration of war.

Klinner said the episode highlighted the difficulties faced by bereaved military families who must navigate complex government terminology and benefit rules while grieving.

The case has renewed criticism of Washington's continued refusal to formally characterize its military campaign against Iran as a war.