(AP) — A woman raising two children was among the six U.S. service members killed last week when a refueling plane involved in the war with Iran crashed in western Iraq.

Tech Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, hailed from a large family in Bardstown, Kentucky, and was “very, very” proud of her military career, her husband Gregory Pruitt said Sunday.

“I’ll give you something brief — in a word, radiant,” he said on a phone interview, trying to hold back tears. “If there was a light in the room, she was it.”

Survivors include the couple’s 3-year-old daughter and Sgt. Pruitt’s stepson.

Most recently, she had served with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron from Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama. She was an assistant flight chief of operations and was an instructor in operating the boom of a KC-135.

Pruitt joined the military nine years ago and had previously deployed overseas three times. She had nearly 900 combat flight hours and two associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force.

Crash in friendly airspace

The U.S. military late Saturday identified Pruitt and the other five crash victims, three connected to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, and Sumpter Smith; the other three were out of an Ohio Air National Guard base in Columbus.

“To lose a member of the Air Force family is excruciatingly painful, especially to those who know them as son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse, mom, or dad,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Ed Szczepanik, commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing, in a news release. “To lose them at the same time is unimaginable.”

Maj. Gen. Matthew S. Woodruff, the Ohio adjutant general, called the three from Columbus “remarkable Airmen whose service and commitment embodied the very best of our Ohio National Guard. Their impact on their teammates and our mission will not be forgotten.”

The aircraft was in “friendly” airspace, supporting operations against Iran, when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred on Thursday, according to U.S. Central Command. The other plane landed safety, U.S. military officials said. The crash is being investigated.

The KC-135 aircraft refuels other planes in midair, allowing them to fly longer distances and sustain operations without landing. The plane also can be used to transport wounded personnel and conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.

The Congressional Research Service says the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve. It has been in service for more than 60 years.