3 Ohioans among 6 US troops killed in military refueling tanker crash identified

CINCINNATI — The Ohio National Guard has identified the three U.S. servicemembers from Ohio who were killed during a refueling mission in Iraq with the 121st Air Refueling Wing.

The three Ohioans were among six total servicemembers killed during the mission, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday. The other three servicemembers were from the Alabama National Guard's 117th Air Refueling Wing.

We spoke to DeWine on the phone following the announcement Friday.

The governor said Gen. Matthew Woodruff, who leads the Ohio National Guard, called to tell him the news Thursday night.

"This is something that when the war started, our fear always is we'll lose some of our service men and women," DeWine said. "It's a very, very sad thing."

All six servicemembers were identified Saturday night. The three from Ohio are: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, of Stoutsville, Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, of Wilmington and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, from Columbus.

WATCH: What we know about the Ohio-based servicemembers killed in the mission

The three servicemembers killed from Alabama's 117th Air Refueling Wing are: Maj. John Klinner, Capt. Ariana Savino and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt.

"Horrible things happen in war. These are very brave, brave men, and they were doing what their country asked them to do in carrying out the mission," DeWine said. "Just want to express to the families our deepest sympathy from all Ohioans."

Tyler Simmons' father, Milo Simmons, spoke to us Friday about his loss.

"We're devastated. Just totally utterly devastated," Milo Simmons said.

Simmons said flying planes was his son's passion.

"He was a great son," Milo Simmons said. "He was a great American. He loved planes. He died doing what he loved doing."

The Ohio National Guard said Capt. Curtis Angst lived in Columbus, but the 30-year-old was originally from Wilmington, Ohio.

In a statement from the Angst family, they said Curtis Angst, who leaves behind his wife, Mary, died doing what he loved most, "flying and serving alongside the men and women he cared so deeply about."

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"Curtis lived a life defined by service, generosity and a genuine love for people," the Angst family said. "He was dedicated to serving his country. He deeply valued the people he had the privilege to serve alongside."

Wilmington City Schools posted to social media Sunday, saying it was keeping the Angst family, as well as Lisa Angst, one of its staff members, in its thoughts due to Curtis Angst's loss.

"Curtis was a 2014 graduate of Wilmington High School, and his family has long been part of our school community," the district wrote on social media. "During this incredibly difficult time, our focus is on supporting Lisa and her family while respecting their privacy. We ask our community to keep them in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead."

Wilmington Mayor Patrick Haley said in a statement that any funeral arrangements for Curtis Angst will be announced as soon as they're available.

"Family, friends and neighbors remember Curtis as someone whose aspirations took flight early in life," Haley said in a statement. "Those who knew him best say the sky was never a limit, but a calling. His childhood was spent gazing upward, his youth marked by determination and his adulthood by a sense of duty that carried him far from home, but never far from those who cared for him."

A U.S. Air Force biography of Angst says that he graduated from the University of Cincinnati with an aerospace engineering degree before entering the Ohio Air National Guard in 2015, first as a vehicle maintenance technician with the 123rd Air Control Squadron, before he received his KC-135R pilot initial qualification in 2024.

Throughout his tenure as a pilot, Angst deployed in 2015 in support of the Spartan Shield operation in the Middle East, as well as in 2026's Epic Fury operation. He flew a total of 880 flights with 67 combat hours.

Thursday's crash involved two aircraft participating in Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S. offensive against Iran. According to Central Command, the aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace.

DeWine ordered Saturday that all flags in Ohio be flown at half-mast in honor of the servicemembers.

"This is just our worst nightmare, worst fear," DeWine said. "For the family members who have men and women deployed overseas, particularly in the Middle East, this is what they worry about every single day."

DeWine said the dignified transfer of the three Ohio servicemembers will take place Wednesday at the Dover Air Force Base.

The governor said he and his wife, Fran, will travel to Dover to pay their respects.

The tanker is the fourth U.S. plane to go down since the war against Iran began, Scripps News Group reported.