Pilot killed in Iraq was Kentwood High School graduate
Published 12:22 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Ariana Savino, a U.S. Air Force captain killed in a refueling aircraft crash in Iraq, was a 2013 Kentwood High School graduate.
Savino, 31, of Covington, also was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at Kentwood, according to a March 18 email from the Kent School District communications team.
“On behalf of the Kent School District, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Capt. Savino’s family, friends and all who knew and served with her,” according to a district statement.
Savino was one of six U.S. airmen killed when their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during the war against Iran.
The KC-135 Stratotanker went down March 12 during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led, Israel-coordinated military operation targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military infrastructure that began Feb. 28. So far, 13 U.S. military members have died in the war.
The search and rescue efforts to recover members concluded on March 13. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation, according to the U.S. Central Command, which added the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.
Friend remembers Ariana
Savino earned her active duty commission in 2017 through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. That’s where Ryan Hamilton, now an Alaska Airlines pilot, met Savino.
“Within the community of students at Central Washington University, Ariana was an unrelentingly positive role model who was highly engaged with all of her pursuits,” Hamilton said in a statement released by the college. “She found her calling with the United States Air Force through the ROTC program at CWU.”
“Ariana came into my life by way of her then-boyfriend, Vic, a fellow CWU alumnus who eventually became her husband and life partner. The way she brightened his life as well as those all around her was infectious.
“Having met Ariana’s family, it is clear that they taught her how to live a meaningful life. She always put others first and held such a bright future ahead of her. I grieve for Ariana and send sincere condolences to all of us who knew her to be an outstanding individual, especially her family. Tailwinds, Capt. Savino.”
Flags to be lowered
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that flags will be lowered for Savino.
“I will be ordering the flags lowered in honor of Capt. Savino,” Ferguson said in a March 18 Facebook post. “My team is working closely with military partners to issue that order for the day of her memorial service.”
Memorial service details have not yet been released.
