Trump will pay his respects in Delaware to 6 US service members killed in the Middle East

Trump will pay his respects in Delaware to 6 US service members killed in the Middle East 1 of 7 | A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File) 2 of 7 | This image provided by the family shows Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt. (Family photo via AP) 3 of 7 | This image provided by the family shows Capt. Ariana G. Savino. (Family photo via AP) 4 of 7 | This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Curtis J. Angst. (Ohio National Guard via AP) 5 of 7 | This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Seth R. Koval. (Ohio National Guard via AP) 6 of 7 | This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons. (Ohio National Guard via AP) 7 of 7 | CORRECTS SURNAME TO KLINNER - This photo provided by by Mary Remmes shows Maj. Alex Klinner on Jan. 10, 2026. (Mary Remmes via AP) 1 of 7 A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 7 This image provided by the family shows Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt. (Family photo via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 7 This image provided by the family shows Capt. Ariana G. Savino. (Family photo via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 7 This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Curtis J. Angst. (Ohio National Guard via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 7 This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Seth R. Koval. (Ohio National Guard via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 7 This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons. (Ohio National Guard via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 7 of 7 CORRECTS SURNAME TO KLINNER - This photo provided by by Mary Remmes shows Maj. Alex Klinner on Jan. 10, 2026. (Mary Remmes via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to pay his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base when the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft are returned to their families.It will be the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president will attend the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state. “Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday. The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said. Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base’s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place. President Donald Trump salutes as an Army carry team moves a flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, during a casualty return, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) President Donald Trump salutes as an Army carry team moves a flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, during a casualty return, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. “It’s the bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, “I’m sure. I hate to do it, but it’s a part of war, isn’t it?” U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.“She had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.” The three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of all things.” Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and “a genuine love for people.” Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.“To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can’t even process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions that you’re feeling,” Moreno said. “Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.”___Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report. Superville covers the White House for The Associated Press, with a special emphasis on first ladies and first families.