Ariana Gabriella Linse Savino

Major Ariana Gabriella Linse Savino built an extraordinary United States Air Force career in less than a decade. She began her operational flying career as a Combat Systems Officer aboard the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, then earned a place in the cockpit as a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot. By the age of 31, she had flown hundreds of combat hours, led fellow Airmen, mentored aspiring aviators, and served on operational deployments to the Middle East. Her life ended on March 12, 2026, while flying a combat mission in support of Operation Epic Fury.

Raised in Covington, Washington, Savino graduated from Kentwood High School in 2013. Her commitment to military service began early through the school's Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. She continued that path at Central Washington University, joining Air Force ROTC and earning a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management. In 2017, she received her active-duty commission in the United States Air Force.

Savino initially trained as a Combat Systems Officer, completing that training in 2020 before reporting to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. There she served aboard the E-8C Joint STARS, an airborne command, control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Her responsibilities expanded as she became an instructor navigator, standardization and evaluation officer, assistant flight commander and flight commander. A February 2023 Department of Defense photograph records her serving as a navigator instructor with the 330th Combat Training Squadron during one of the unit's final E-8C flights.

Her operational experience took her beyond the United States. Savino deployed in 2020 in support of U.S. Central Command operations, including Operations Spartan Shield and Sentinel Sentry. Across her 2020 and 2026 deployments, the Air Force credited her with 348 combat hours aboard the E-8C Joint STARS as a Combat Systems Officer and the KC-135 Stratotanker as a pilot.

Yet Savino had another goal. After years of flying as part of an E-8C mission crew, she pursued the challenge of becoming an Air Force pilot. She entered undergraduate pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, and earned her pilot wings in 2025. She subsequently qualified on the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Air Force's long-serving aerial refueling aircraft, and joined the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama.

As Chief of Current Operations Pilot for the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, Savino carried responsibility far beyond the cockpit. She managed the squadron's approximately $21 million flying-hour program, coordinated headquarters taskings, supervised daily flight scheduling and aircrew training missions, and helped allocate the resources required to keep the unit ready for worldwide operations. The 99th operated as an active-duty associate unit administratively connected with the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base.

Savino's service brought formal military recognition. Her documented personal decorations included the Air Medal and the Air and Space Commendation Medal. Following her death, Representative Kim Schrier entered a tribute into the Congressional Record noting that Savino had flown nearly 350 combat hours as both a Combat Systems Officer and pilot and specifically recording that her service earned those two decorations.

Her influence extended beyond flying and operational leadership. Savino became known for mentoring younger Airmen and encouraging women and underrepresented students to pursue careers in military aviation. King County later described her as a Latina officer who traveled to Puerto Rico to speak with students, mentor young women and advocate for greater representation in aviation and military service. Those efforts became an important part of the legacy she left alongside her operational accomplishments.

In 2026, Savino deployed again to the U.S. Central Command area of operations, this time supporting Operation Epic Fury as a KC-135 pilot. On March 12, her KC-135 was involved in an incident with another aircraft while operating in friendly airspace over western Iraq. The second aircraft landed safely, but Savino's KC-135 was lost. U.S. Central Command stated that the loss resulted from neither hostile fire nor friendly fire. All six Airmen aboard the aircraft were killed, and the circumstances of the incident remained under investigation.

Savino was 31 years old. After her death, the Department of War confirmed that she had been posthumously promoted from captain to major, recognizing her by the rank of Major Ariana Savino.

Her service was also honored at home. In June 2026, the King County Council posthumously awarded Major Ariana Gabriella Linse Savino the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service, recognizing her military service, mentorship, leadership and commitment to opening opportunities for others. Her parents accepted the award on her behalf.

Major Ariana Gabriella Linse Savino's career traced a remarkable path from a Junior ROTC student in Covington to an E-8C Combat Systems Officer, instructor and flight commander, and ultimately to the cockpit of a KC-135 Stratotanker on combat operations. Her record reflects not only the missions she flew and responsibilities she carried, but also the people she encouraged to follow her into aviation. Her story remains one of service, ambition, leadership and sacrifice, and of an Airman who continued reaching for the next challenge while helping others believe they could do the same.