13 US service members have died in the war with Iran. Here are their stories

Krdo · 🇮🇳 public India · May 25, 2026 · 3183 words · By CNN Newssource

Cost of War Humanization of Military Casualties US-Iran conflict

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Cost of War

13 US service members have died in the war with Iran.

Claims checked 32

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center86%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

13 US service members have died in the war with Iran.

Why it matters

Here are their stories By Alaa Elassar, Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN (CNN) — Some of Mary Ellen Klinner’s happiest memories were of watching her son outdoors — camping, hiking and spending long days beside his father — and later seeing him become a devoted dad to…

Common ground

John ‘Alex’ Klinner was killed in the Iran war, those memories have become both a comfort and a painful reminder of the “nightmare” her life has felt like in the past couple of months.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Pity, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What terms are actually in the Iran proposal, and which side would have to compromise first?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that She earned her wings as a KC-135 pilot after completing her training last year but had been serving in the military since 2017?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/2026/05/25/13-us-service-members-have-died-in-the-war-with…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 85% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 95% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 80% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 32 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 22

check_circle Corroborated 6

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

info Single Source 1

schedule

Claim 1: “She earned her wings as a KC-135 pilot after completing her training last year but had been serving in the military since 2017”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 2: “Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens... 42-year-old... was killed [in Kuwait]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien... 45-year-old... was killed in Kuwait while serving in support of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 4: “Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, a 39-year-old... was killed [in Kuwait]”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 5: “O’Brien had served in the Army Reserve for nearly two decades”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 6: “Operation Epic Fury, the name the Pentagon has given to the war with Iran.”

CORROBORATED

The name 'Operation Epic Fury' is cited by multiple independent sources, including CENTCOM, news reports, and Wikipedia, as the name given to the conflict.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict began when the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting mili…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is the order of battle of the 2026 Iran war. It reports commands, formations and units where sources have specifically indicated their involvement in the war. It does not indicate higher commands…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war_order_of_battle

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the 2026 Iran war covers the period since 28 February 2026. The war is ongoing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2026_Iran_war

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 7: “Sgt. Declan Coady... 20-year-old of Des Moines, Iowa... death after an Iranian strike at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati in 2014 and joined the military the following year as a vehicle maintenance technician”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 9: “six other service members were killed on March 1 after an Iranian strike in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms an Iranian drone attack on a US tactical operations center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on March 1, 2026. While the specific death toll of six is not explicitly listed in the snippet, the event is verified by reference.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 28 February 2026, during the 2026 Iran war, Iran began launching a series of retaliatory strikes on American and Kuwaiti targets within Kuwait.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iranian_strikes_on_Kuwait

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 1 March 2026, an Iranian one-way attack drone struck a tactical operations center belonging to the United States Armed Forces in Port Shuaiba, an industrial port in Kuwait. The operations center wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Port_Shuaiba_drone_attack

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of airstrikes and bombardments carried out during the 2026 Iran war. The strikes began on 28 February 2026, when Israel and the United States launched attacks on targets across Iran, co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_during_the_202…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 10: “A service member died March 8 following an attack by Iran on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that a service member (identified as Benjamin N. Pennington) died on March 8 following an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 9, 2026 ... Benjamin N. Pennington died on March 8 after being seriously wounded by a March 1 Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/7th-us-death-saudi-arabia-ir…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 27, 2026 ... Mar 27. . At least 10 US service members were injured in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, a US official told CNN.
https://www.facebook.com/cnn/posts/at-least-10-us-service-me…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 8, 2026 ... A US soldier died after sustaining injuries during an attack last week in Saudi Arabia ... Pennington, who was injured at Prince Sultan Air Base ...
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/08/politics/us-service-member-ki…

schedule

Claim 11: “Pruitt, who was based at MacDill Air Force Base, served as an instructor boom operator and assistant flight chief of operations with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “Ashley Pruitt... 34-year-old boom operator of Bardstown, Kentucky, was killed in the Iraq crash.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “later transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard in 2017”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “He first enlisted as a machinist with the Indiana Air National Guard in 2006”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 15: “Cody Khork... 35-year-old from Lakeland, Florida... among the group of six service members killed after an Iranian strike in Kuwait.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 16: “The vast majority of injuries suffered were minor and 90% of service members returned to duty”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries for the number 90 and music playlists from the 90s; there is no evidence regarding the return-to-duty rate of wounded service members.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 90 is a pronic number as it is the product of 9 and 10, [1] and along with 12 and 56, one of only a few pronic numbers whose digits in decimal are also successive. 90 is divisible by the sum of its ba…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90_(number)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Whether you're on a nostalgia trip or exploring these iconic tracks for the first time, prepare for a musical journey that celebrates the essence of one of the most influential decades in music...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7DA3D097D6FDBC02

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The last 10 years of the 20th century was a time like no other, from Columbine to Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Seinfeld, Air Jordan, and the Spice Girls …if it happened in the 90’s you’ll hear about it on t…
https://www.iheart.com/live/iheart90s-6834/

check_circle

Claim 17: “He died alongside five other crew members who were aboard a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft when it crashed on March 12 in western Iraq.”

CORROBORATED

The crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker in western Iraq on March 12, killing Maj. John Klinner and five other crew members, is reported by the BBC and other news sources.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, near Mascoutah, Illinois. Air Mobi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Mobility_Command

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fusela…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_KC-135_Stratotanker

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boeing NC-135 and NKC-135 are special versions of the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker modified to operate on several different programs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_NC-135

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 18: “In 2009, he enlisted in the National Guard as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 19: “Declan Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 20: “As the 99th Air Refueling Squadron’s chief of standardization and evaluation, Klinner oversaw the training and flight proficiency of more than 30 aircrew members”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 21: “Approximately 400 service members have been wounded in action during Operation Epic Fury”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report that nearly or approximately 400 US service members have been wounded, with one source specifying 346 wounded in action.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — U.S. Military Casualties - Operation Epic Fury (OEFU) Wounded in Action. (As of May 22, 2026). CASUALTY TYPE. CASUALTY TYPE. Army. Navy. Marines. Air Force.
https://dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/conflictCasualties/oefu/w…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 8, 2026 ... And it said that 346 were wounded in action: 231 soldiers, 63 sailors, 33 airmen and 19 Marines. But U.S. Central Command told Military Times ...
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/04/08/…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 15, 2026 ... ... was the most trusted cable news brand. A 2017 Gallup ... Pentagon: Nearly 400 US service members have been injured in Operation Epic Fury.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xDoOPKZvAQ

schedule

Claim 22: “Seth R. Koval, 38... was killed in the Iraq crash”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 23: “13 US service members have died in the war with Iran.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent news sources (EuroNews, CNN, and other web reports) confirm that 13 US service members have died in the war with Iran.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 13 April 2026, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran following the failure of the Islamabad Talks to end the 2026 Iran war. The US military said the blockade had begun on Monday, 13 Ap…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_naval_block…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On April 12, 2025, Iran and the United States began a series of negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement, following a letter from US president Donald Trump to Iranian supreme leader Al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–2026_Iran–United_States_n…

+ 4 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 24: “Tyler Simmons, a military boom operator... was killed in the Iraq crash”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 25: “Savino, of Covington, Washington, served as chief of current operations for the 99th Air Refueling Squadron”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 26: “One strike killed at least 168 children.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim that one strike killed at least 168 children.

schedule

Claim 27: “Curtis J. Angst... 30-year-old, who was part of the crew killed in the Iraq crash”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 28: “John Klinner is one of the 13 US troops killed in connection with Operation Epic Fury”

CORROBORATED

Major John 'Alex' Klinner is identified as one of the casualties of Operation Epic Fury by NPR, Facebook (Auburn, AL), and other news reports.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Air Force's 6th Air Refueling Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. The wing's 6th Operations Group is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Air_Refueling_Wing

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 18, 2026 ... One of the service members, Major Alex Klinner, has been identified as having ties to Oklahoma. News · Oklahoma State Confirms Former Student ...
https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/osu-professor-remem…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 14, 2026 ... On March 12, 2026, we lost Major John “Alex” Klinner and five fellow U.S. Air Force crew members when their KC-135 refueling aircraft went down ...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/215155240781012/posts/127414…

+ 1 more evidence source

schedule

Claim 29: “Klinner served as a major in the Air Force for eight years”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 30: “At least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel began strikes on the country, according to state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding the death toll reported by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

schedule

Claim 31: “enlisted as an automated logistics specialist in the National Guard in 2005. She transferred to the Army Reserve a year later”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 32: “He enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.