By Troy Turner
Capt. Ariana Savino, one of six Air Force crew members killed in a Middle East crash during Operation Epic Fury and one of three who had Alabama connections, was posthumously promoted to the rank of major.
The promotion was made effective with a retroactive date of Jan. 23, 2026.
The March 12 crash of their KC-135 Stratotanker remains under investigation.
Auburn University alumnus Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Trussville died in the crash, as did Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky.
The three flew in the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, which is co-located with Alabama’s 117th Air National Guard refueling wing at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham.
The deaths hit hard for members of the 117th, which posted comments Tuesday night in memory of Savino and in honor of her promotion.
“Known as the one who would say, ‘write that down’ especially if someone said something funny or true and she wanted to remember it. Maj. Savino had ‘fly like a girl’ stickers on all her travel mugs. And all the time would say ‘I’m just a girl’ or ‘I don’t know, I just work here,’” the Facebook post said.
“Ariana LOVED her dog’s Piper and Zoe, had friends ALL over the place, and looked forward to ‘girl’s trips,’ even if it was just down the hall or to wherever it may be.
“Ariana created memories everywhere she went and with everyone she met. She entrusts a legacy of female aviators who proudly and honorably served their nation, their territory, their state, and their family.
“Alabama will never forget Ariana’s service and sacrifice.”
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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