TULSA, Okla. — One of the six U.S. Air Force members who was killed when a military refueling tanker plane crashed in Iraq graduated from Oklahoma State University.
Oklahoma State posted a picture of Major John "Alex" Klinner on Facebook on Tuesday morning. Klinner graduated from OSU's MBA program in 2025.
Director of MBA Programs Matt Bowler spoke with 2 News Oklahoma's Stef Manchen. Bowler said he had Klinner in class twice while he pursued his master's.
“There was a part of me in the back of my mind and today where I thought, ‘Oh gosh, you know, that’s a tragic loss no matter who it is, but I hope it wasn’t one of our students,'” he said.
Bowler said the entire OSU community is grieving alongside Klinner's family and friends.
WATCH: OSU confirms fallen Air Force servicemember was a business school graduate
In learning about the news, Bowler reviewed some of Klinner's old assignments to reflect on the pilot's life.
“In that paper he stresses the importance of family and integrity and prioritizing family, and doing things like deciding it was time to hire out house cleaning and lawn care so that he could spend his time at home, — as a pilot, you’re gone a lot — and so his time at home, he could spend time with at that time his one child. It's a bit gutting to read that and realize at that time he didn't even realize that he was going to have twins."
Klinner leaves behind a wife and three young children. Their community is raising money to support the family's needs.
“It’s heartbreaking losing someone who’s part of our program, but it’s heartbreaking to know that they’ve lost such a great individual that’s so important to them," said Bowler.
Bowler said OSU does professional development with the Tinker Air Force Base, which maintains KC-135 aircraft, and he was thinking of them as they mourn Klinner, too.
Officials say the plane crash was not due to hostile or friendly fire.
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