Trump Meets With Gold Star Families for Dignified Transfer

Administration officials honored the lives of six Air Force members killed when their refueling aircraft crashed over western Iraq on March 12.

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn as he returns to the White House on March 18, 2026. Trump is returning from a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

President Donald Trump traveled to Dover, Delaware, on March 18 to honor the lives of six U.S. Air Force members lost during a refueling incident last week while participating in Operation Epic Fury.

Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, from Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, were killed when their KC-135 Stratotanker crashed over western Iraq on March 12.

The president saluted as the crowd silently showed their respect when the flag-draped coffins arrived. Out of respect for the families’ privacy, the solemn process remained closed to the media.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine joined the president in recognizing the service members’ bravery and sacrifice.

Trump offered no remarks before or after the transfer, bypassing the media at the White House on March 18 when departing and arriving. He participated in a similar transfer ceremony on March 7 honoring the first six members of the U.S. military killed in the action.

“They’re great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way,” Trump said at the time, calling the loss of life a “very sad situation.”

Recent casualties bring the U.S. death toll to 13. It is unclear how many Israeli and Iranian deaths have resulted from the conflict that began on Feb. 28.

Fighting continues in Iran, with joint Israeli and U.S. operations targeting Tehran’s defensive capabilities, while the Islamic regime’s drones and missiles threaten allies in the region.

A media blackout in Iran, enforced by some social media companies, leaves many details uncertain and questions unanswered as the fog of war thickens.

No ground troops were committed to the region, although a U.S. Marine expeditionary unit with 5,000 highly trained individuals was recently repositioned to the area, along with more warships.

The U.S. president criticized some European nations and NATO leaders for not offering support to protect the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products travel—approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration—while Iran seeks to obstruct the flow of ships through the passageway with various types of munitions.

“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Strait?’” Trump wrote in a March 18 Truth Social post. “That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast.”