Candlelight vigil for Capt. Ariana Savino set for Monday, March 23

Published 11:21 am Monday, March 23, 2026

A candlelight vigil to honor fallen U.S. Air Force Capt. Ariana Savino is set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 23 at Heartwood Church, 19320 SE 240th St., in Covington.

The city of Covington posted the announcement about the vigil Monday morning. There will be light refreshments.

Savino, 31, of Covington, was a 2013 Kentwood High School graduate and a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program at the school.

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.