The widow of a US soldier killed in the Iran war says she was told her family would miss out on combat benefits because the Pentagon, under Pete Hegseth’s leadership, does not officially classify the conflict as a war.

Libby Klinner said that when she questioned her husband's final paycheck, the officer assigned to support her after his death told her the family would not receive hazard pay or combat-related tax breaks because 'we were not at war.'

Her husband, Major Alex Klinner, 33, died on March 12 when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting US operations against Iran. The Alabama-based airman served with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron and was among six crew members killed in the crash. 

He left behind three young children; a two-year-old son and twins who were seven months old when he died. 

The couple married in 2019, with Libby moving to the Pacific Northwest for his job before they relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022.

‘My husband lost his life because we’re in a war,’ she told the Associated Press. ‘It all comes down to principle.’

After her statement circulated online, the Air Force contacted her again and said it had itemized her husband's benefits incorrectly, and that combat pay and tax exclusions were in fact included.

Klinner said officials acknowledged on Thursday they had provided her inaccurate information and confirmed she had received everything her husband was owed. 

A formal war declaration is not required for hostile fire or imminent danger pay, which can reach $225 a month under military rules. 

‘No Gold Star family should have to become an expert in government language to understand what they are entitled to,’ she said in a statement.

‘Alex understood the risks that came with his service, and he trusted that if the worst happened, his family would be taken care of.’

She said grieving families should get clear answers about their entitlements from the start.

Vice President JD Vance was pressed about her case at Thursday’s White House briefing, when a CNN reporter asked him to make sure the family received its benefits.

Vance asked for Klinner’s name and promised the administration would contact her directly after the briefing.

‘We want to be as helpful as we can and ensure she gets everything that she is entitled to,’ he said.

Elsewhere in the briefing, Vance disputed calling the Iran conflict a war, saying there was ‘no active shooting’, although he acknowledged places where fighting had flared up.

The war has now lasted more than six months and claimed the lives of 18 American service members. 

Senior commanders warned Hegseth that prolonged Iran operations could weaken US defenses elsewhere, including at home, the Washington Post reported last week.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Pentagon for comment. 

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