This was pretty fascinating to see.
A pilot in Ohio honored the three National Gaurdman killed in Operation Epic Fury in a very creative way.
A video on flight radar shows a pilot flying a special path to create an image of a service member saluting to three headstones with crosses.
Take a look at the flight path here:
A pilot flew a special path over Ohio, drawing the shape of a service member and three headstones in the sky to honor Air National Guardsmen from the state who died in a tanker crash in Iraq during Operation Epic Fury.
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 22, 2026
Yahoo News provided further context to the pilot’s creation:
A thoughtful aviation enthusiast paid tribute to three service members of Ohio Air National Guard on March 19, days after they were among six killed in a refueling tanker’s crash in western Iraq.
Captain Seth Koval, Captain Curtis Angst, and Master Sergeant Tyler Simmons were supporting the US government’s “Operation Epic Fury” on March 12, when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed at about 2 pm, according to the US Central Command.
“The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace,” the central command said, and the accident remained under investigation.
Major John Alex Klinner of Auburn, Alabama, Captain Ariana G. Savino of Covington, Washington, and Technical Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt of Bardstown, Kentucky, also died in the crash.
The Ohio National Guard and the 121st Air Refueling Wing paid tribute to Koval, Angst, and Simmons.
This footage from Flightradar24 shows a pilot drawing a service member and three headstones in their flight path on March 19, to honor the Ohio guardsmen.
Here’s a photo of the three Guardsmen:
🚨 BREAKING: This American pilot is being praised nationwide for BEAUTIFULLY paying tribute to the 3 Ohio Air National Guardsmen, who were among the 6 killed in an aircraft crash in Iraq
He drew crosses and a salute with his plane in the Ohio sky ✝️🫡
God bless our heroes 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/PN68VPqk5H
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 22, 2026
The Guardian reported how many service members have died since Operation Epic Fury was launched:
At least 200 US troops have been injured in the US-Israeli war on Iran, a US military spokesperson said on Monday.
“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 200 US service members have been wounded,” a US Central Command spokesperson, Cpt Tim Hawkins, told the Guardian via email.
“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor,” said Hawkins, adding that 180 troops have since returned to duty. He did not elaborate when asked follow-up questions about what types of injuries service members sustained or their causes.
ABC News previously reported that injuries included burns, shrapnel wounds and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), citing an unnamed US official. Out of the 200 injured, at least 10 military personnel have been “seriously wounded”, Hawkins previously told the outlet.
As of Monday, 13 service members have been killed in the US war with Iran. Six crew members died last week when a US military refuelling plane crashed in western Iraq.
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