A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for the family of Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, a Kentucky mother who was among the six American service members killed in a plane crash in Iraq on Thursday.
The fundraising effort has already accumulated over $50,000, exceeding its initial goal of $50,000. Pruitt, 34, was assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
According to a news release from the Department of Defense, Pruitt and five others perished on March 12 when a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker crashed in western Iraq. The incident is currently under investigation.
Pruitt, a native of Bardstown, resided with her husband, their 3-year-old daughter, and her stepson. She enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2017 and discovered her enthusiasm for her role as a boom operator.
Ashley took great pride in her work and in supporting the mission every day. As a TSgt., she was also a leader who cared deeply about the Airmen she worked with.
She is the second individual from Kentucky to lose her life as part of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran that commenced on February 28.
