A U.S. airman who died in a plane crash over Iraq shared a heartbreaking final conversation with his father just one day before his death.
According to reports, Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, was among six U.S. service members who lost their lives when an Air Force refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on March 12.
In what authorities later described as “friendly airspace,” a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker collided with another tanker. The second aircraft landed safely, but the one carrying Simmons and his fellow service members went down over western Iraq.
In a new interview with CNN, Simmons’ father revealed haunting details of their last conversation, during which Simmons reportedly expressed doubt that he would return home from the ongoing war in Iran.
His father, Mylo, said Simmons was “very calm” during the call — which took place a day before the crash — and shared: “He told me how much he loved me, he told me to say he loved his dog, Grayson… and you know, he was very insightful.
“Unfortunately, he did tell me he didn’t think he was coming back.” Mylo said he told Simmons, his only son, that he hoped he was wrong.
“I always shared with him, ‘Live life with no regrets.’ And knowing Tyler, if he could do it all over again, he’d probably make the same decision because he loved what he did,” Mylo explained.
“I mean, obviously no one wants to die and no one foresaw that or saw that coming, but Tyler was… oh, he was just an amazing son and it was my privilege to be able to be his father.”
Simmons’ mother, Cheryl, told WSYX that her son had spoken about the rigors of the ongoing conflict, telling her he had already been shot at.
Recalling the moment officers arrived at their home to deliver the devastating news, she said: “When he opened the door, he said, ‘Oh no,’ and I jumped up and ran in there and they were lined up out on the porch. You got to be kidding me.”
The Pentagon confirmed that those on board the ill-fated KC-135 plane along with Simmons were: John Klinner, 33, from Alabama; 31-year-old Ariana Savino from Washington; Ashley Pruitt, 34, from Kentucky; 38-year-old Seth Koval from Indiana; and Curtis Angst, 30, from Ohio.
Rest in peace.
