Pentagon won’t pay dead soldiers’ families because Iran war is ‘not a war’ — The families of US soldiers who have died in the US-Israeli war against Iran are battling to ensure they receive appropriate pay and benefits for their loved ones.
Libby Klinner, a widow, wrote on social media that the US Air Force had deemed her ineligible for additional benefits following the
death of her husband, 33-year-old Major Alex Klinner, because Congress had not officially declared war.
He was one of six crew members of a KC-135 refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq in March while supporting US strikes against Iran.
Since the Iran war began more than six months ago, 18 US service members have been killed and 780 wounded.
Libby Klinner told the Associated Press: “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. It all comes down to principle.”
After she expressed her frustration in an online post that went viral, the US Air Force clarified that his final pay cheque included hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks.
US officials also acknowledged that they had initially provided inaccurate information, and that her husband’s last pay cheque had included – but incorrectly itemised – “combat pay”, which amounts to US$225 ($382) a month, and was not conditioned on a formal war declaration.
Klinner said: “What this experience made clear to me is how difficult it can be for a grieving family to navigate classifications, terminology and government processes at the very moment we are least equipped to do so.
“No Gold Star family should have to become an expert in government language to understand what they are entitled to. Alex understood the risks that came with his service, and he trusted that if the worst happened, his family would be taken care of.”
US service members gain or lose eligibility for various payments depending on a range of factors, such as deployment and duty location. In practice, that means their pay cheques can change many times each year, which leads to confusion or errors.
Klinner said: “I want the conversation to focus on making sure every family facing an unimaginable loss has that same clarity from the start. Getting this right for the families left behind isn’t a footnote – it’s part of how we honour the service and sacrifice of those we lost.”
US Vice President JD Vance, when asked about her case at a White House briefing on Thursday, said: “We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to.
“My message to her would be, ‘We love you, we’re grateful for the sacrifice and we very much take very seriously our commitment to get you what you need to get’.”
In response to another question, Vance rejected using the word “war” to characterise US operations in Iran, saying there was “no active shooting”.
Although US President Donald Trump and others have repeatedly called US military operations against Iran a war, the President backed Vance on Friday, saying US strikes were “intermittent”.