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BREAKING: Widow of Alabama Airman Killed in Iran War Speaks Out After Being Denied Benefits Because Iran War Was Never Officially Declared
Libby Klinner buried her husband. Then the government told her that because Congress never formally declared war, some of the benefits owed to her and her three young children weren't coming.
Major Alex Klinner, chief of squadron standardizations and evaluations at the 99th Air Refueling Squadron in Birmingham, was one of six service members killed March 12 when their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. He left behind a 2 and a half year old son and 7 month old twins.
Marking six months since his death, Libby posted on Instagram: "Six months of a war we can't call a war... The Air Force recently told me that because we haven't officially declared war, my kids and I aren't eligible for some benefits. So not only was my husband killed in a war he never wanted to participate in, but now the benefits we're left with are being dictated by semantics and public perception."
She specified the gap involved combat pay related benefits, including hostile fire and imminent danger pay and combat zone exclusions, benefits tied specifically to the legal designation of a war that officially isn't one.
Her going public worked. Within a day, the Air Force's director of mortuary affairs reached out to her directly, and the branch has now initiated an audit to ensure her family receives everything they're entitled to. An Air Force spokesperson said officials "spoke with Libby Klinner today to ensure she is receiving all eligible benefits she and her family are entitled to," adding, "we remain committed to providing clear information and continued support to Mrs. Klinner, as well as all the families of the Airmen who died in the KC-135 crash."
She's also had to defend simply speaking at all. "To the comments asking why my husband joined the military if he didn't want to be in a war: No one joins the military because they want to go to war," she wrote. "To those commenting that I'm posting this for attention: I suggest that you reserve judgment about what I'm doing until you've had to bury your spouse."
A widow raising three kids under three had to go public just to get the government to check whether her family was owed what they'd already earned. It shouldn't take a viral post to make that happen.
