Trump joins families of six slain US service members at Dover air force base | US-Israel war on Iran
Donald Trump joined the families of six US soldiers killed in the war in the Middle East during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday.
An “honorable transfer” is the return to the United States of the remains of US soldiers killed in action.
Soldiers were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait earlier this week as the United States and Israel continue their war for regime change in Iran.
The transfer is considered one of the dreariest tasks of any commander in chief. At Saturday’s event, the president wore a Trump-branded “USA” golf cap. Mobile phones were not allowed during the entire dignified transfer.
In addition to the president, several members of the cabinet were present, including vice president J.D. Vance; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; Attorney General Pam Bondi; et al.
Speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before heading to Dover air force base on Saturday, Trump said the fallen soldiers were “heroes who came home differently than they thought they would.” He said it was a “very sad situation” and vowed to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”
Those killed in the shooting included Sergeant first class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Warrant officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Sergeant first class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was posthumously promoted from specialist.
The families of six reserve army members were also present during the transfer.
Six soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a command center in Kuwait. They were all from the 103rd support command in Des Moines, Iowa, which provided food, fuel, water, ammunition, transport equipment and supplies, the Associated Press reported. They died just one day after the United States and Israel launched military action against Iran.
During the ritual, transfer boxes containing the bodies of fallen soldiers, wrapped in the American flag, are carried from the military plane carrying them to a waiting vehicle to be taken to the morgue facility at the base.
Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, said earlier this week that Amor was scheduled to return home to her two children within a few days, the Associated Press reported.
“You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something is going to happen, and it hurts that he was one of the first,” said Joey Amor.
O’Brien had been in the Army reserves for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn account, and his aunt said in a Facebook post that O’Brien was “the sweetest blue-eyed, blond farm boy you’ll ever meet. He’s already sorely missed.”
Marzan’s sister described him in a Facebook post as a “strong leader” and a loving husband, father and brother.
“Little sister, you are loved and I will treasure all our memories and keep them alive in my heart always,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote.
Coady was among the youngest in his class and trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his instructors, his father, Andrew Coady, told The Associated Press.
“He trained hard, he worked hard, physical conditioning was important to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said. “He was also one of the kindest people you could ever meet and would do anything for anyone.”
Khork’s family described him as a “life of the party” who was known for his “infectious spirit” and “generous heart” and wanted to serve in the military since he was a child.
“This commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was,” according to the testimony of his mother, Donna Burhans, father, James Khork, and stepmother, Stacey Khork.
Tietjens, who comes from a military family, previously served with his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February 2010, he was reunited with his overjoyed wife at a local church gym.
Tietjens’ cousin, Kaylyn Golike, asked for prayers as they deal with “an unimaginable loss,” especially for Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, his wife and his parents.
Trump last went to Dover in December for an honorable transfer for two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter. Three of them were killed in an ambush attack in the Syrian desert.
He participated in several honorable transfers during Trump’s first term, including a Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, two officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan and two army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a man wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire.
Hugo Lowell contributed reporting
