The Pentagon identified four of the six American Army Reserve soldiers who were killed in action as a result of President Donald Trump’s surprise war on Iran.
Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, died on March 1 after a drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
“All Soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa,” the announcement stated. “The incident is under investigation.”
The other two American military personnel who were killed in action during “Operation Epic Fury” have not yet been identified.
Khork, who enlisted in the National Guard in 2009, was a highly decorated officer who had previously deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Poland, according to the Military Times.
Tietjens, who was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal among several other honors, enlisted in the Reserves in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and had previously deployed to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019.
Amor, also a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal and numerous other awards, enlisted in the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist. She transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.
Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist. He was posthumously promoted from specialist, and his awards include the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll shared a statement about the fallen military personnel in a post on X Tuesday night.
“I’m deeply saddened by the loss and injury of our Soldiers from the recent Iranian attacks on U.S. Army forces in the Middle East,” Driscoll, who was appointed by Trump last year, wrote. “These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
“We honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation,” Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, the chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, said in a statement.
“Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families, will never be forgotten.”
The six American service members were killed while inside a triple-wide trailer that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as “fortified.”
The trailer, which served as an operations center, took a direct hit amid Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Kuwait after Saturday’s joint aerial bombing campaign launched by American and Israeli forces resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
CBS News reported that military officials questioned the safety of the operations center before the strike. The fortifications used to protect the center did not shield the top of the building from an overhead strike, which is reportedly what killed the six service members.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denounced the reporting on the operations center in a statement on X Tuesday.
“A Tactical Operations Center is not a ‘makeshift office space.’ The secure facility was fortified with 6-foot walls,” Parnell wrote. “Every possible measure has been taken to safeguard our troops — at every level."
“We will continue fighting in a way that honors our six fallen: no apologies, no hesitation,” he continued. “Epic fury for them and for every American lost at the hands of Iranian radicals.”
Iran’s Red Crescent has reported that nearly 800 people have died from Israeli and American strikes.
Trump, 79, said in a Sunday video address that “there will likely be more” American military personnel who die before the end of the conflict.
“That’s the way it is,” the president, who received five draft deferments during the Vietnam War, said. “But we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case.”
When asked by the Daily Mail on Sunday whether he’d attend the dignified transfer of remains of the fallen U.S. service members or if he would invite their families to the White House, Trump said, “Maybe.”
“They’re great people, and, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately,” Trump told the outlet about the slain soldiers. “It could happen again.”
The president said that his people had been in touch with the families of the fallen soldiers and would “be meeting with their families at the appropriate time.”
Other than the Ayatollah, Iranian state television confirmed that several other high-ranking officials, including the country’s Minister of Defense and the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were also killed in Saturday’s strikes.
