Birmingham Mourns Fallen Airmen

0:00From Birmingham, this is your March 16th update. The Birmingham community is mourning three local service members killed in a military aircraft crash in Iraq. Six U.S. airmen died in the accident, and the three from Sumter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham were Major John Alex Cleaner, Captain, Ariana G. Savino, and Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt. These airmen were part of a Florida-based unit at McDill Air Force Base, but lived in word full-time in Birmingham. They partnered closely with the 117th air refueling wing. Cleaner, a 33-year-old pilot from Auburn, was a husband and father of three. Savino, 31 from Covington, Washington, was also a pilot. Pruitt, 34 from Bardstown, Kentucky, served as an assistant flight chief and was a wife and mother of two. Right away, neighbors and co-workers stepped up with support for the families. A fundraiser for Cleaner's wife Libby and their three kids has raised $1,300,000 as of Monday, March 16.

1:03Another first Savino's family pulled in $58,083 with some going to a scholarship for Latina women in aviation. Pruitt's husband Greg and their two children, Amelia and Oliver, have received $120,150 through their page. Local leaders are calling for continued prayers during the crash investigation. Governor Kay Ivey praised the airmen as outstanding neighbors and fellow Alabamians who service should be remembered. Meanwhile, the community keeps rallying, showing the strong bonds that define Birmingham even in tough times. Support for this episode comes from our sponsor, see the description, your pillow, your podcast, your moment, made for listening in bed, S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com.