BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Flags are at half-staff in Bardstown as the community honors Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, 34, who was killed in a KC-135 refueling tanker crash in Iraq on March 12.
Pruitt, a Bardstown native and member of the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, was supporting Operation Epic Fury at the time of her death. The incident resulted in the loss of six U.S. airmen.
Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton expressed pride in Pruitt's service, noting, “We certainly are proud of Ashley and how she represented Bardstown.” Pruitt graduated from Nelson County High School, where she participated in the Air Force Junior ROTC program, demonstrating early commitment to military service.
“She joined the Air Force in 2017 and deployed four times during her military career,” authorities said. Heaton described her as a “smart and motivated individual who worked her way into a very, very important position.”
A GoFundMe has been established to aid Pruitt's family. She is remembered as a devoted wife to Greg and a caring mother to their 3-year-old daughter, Emilia, and her stepson, Oliver. City leaders have pledged community support for the family during this difficult time.
Heaton confirmed that flags will remain at half-staff across Nelson County until funeral services are scheduled.