More than $45K raised for family of KY mother, service member killed in crash
A GoFundMe was launched for the family of the Kentucky mother who was one of the six American service members killed in a plane crash in Iraq on Thursday.
The fundraiser started after the death of Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, a Bardstown native and mother, had raised over $46,500 as of Sunday morning. Pruitt was assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing out of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, according to a Saturday news release from the Department of Defense.
She and five others died March 12 when a KC-135, an aerial refueling tanker, crashed in western Iraq. The crash remains under investigation.
Pruitt, 34, lived in Bardstown with her husband, 3-year-old daughter, and stepson, according to the GoFundMe.
The GoFundMe’s goal is $50,000, to help support Pruitt’s family.
Pruitt joined the U.S. Air Force in the spring of 2017 and found her passion as a boom operator, according to the GoFundMe.
“Ashley took great pride in her work and in supporting the mission every day,” the post reads. “As a TSgt., she was also a leader who cared deeply about the Airmen she worked with.”
“She worked hard for the family she always wanted and cherished them all. Ashley’s loss leaves an unimaginable hole for her family, friends, and fellow Airmen,” the GoFundMe post reads.
She is the second person from Kentucky to die as part of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing United States and Israeli war against Iran that began Feb. 28.
Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, of Glendale, died March 8 after he was injured in a March 1 attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to the Department of Defense. Pennington was assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, which is based in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Rep. Candy Massaroni and Sen. Jimmy Higdon, of Bardstown, sent out a joint statement regarding Pruitt’s death and said she made the “ultimate sacrifice while serving our country overseas.”
“The sacrifice made by Ashley and her fellow service members is a powerful reminder that the freedoms we enjoy at home are safeguarded by brave Americans willing to place themselves in harm’s way. Her service reflects a deep commitment to something greater than herself,” the statement said.
