Trump pays tribute to US service members killed in Middle East: ‘Great heroes’
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President Donald Trump was seen Wednesday saluting the flag-draped caskets of four U.S. soldiers recently killed in Jordan and Iraq while attending a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Trump was seen standing next to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as he paid tribute to 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Angel Rampersad, 28, Ozone Park, New York and Pvt. Killed in Jordan were 19-year-old Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, Texas, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in Iraq.
Trump told reporters ahead of the ceremony on Wednesday that the soldiers were “great heroes.”
“We will honor them. And that’s one of the hardest things to do; one of the hardest things for me to do as a president. But it has to be done,” Trump added.
US SOLDIER KILLED IN JORDAN ATTACK REMEMBERED AS ‘A LIFE LIVING WITH COURAGE AND FREEDOM’
President Donald Trump salutes as a U.S. Army transport team carries the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, during a dignified transfer ceremony for U.S. service members killed during operations in the Middle East at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, July 22, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Asked if he had a message for families, Trump said: “All I have to say is, we love you. We love your child.” he said. “It’s the same for them. They’re their kids. No games, no nothing. It’s their kid. And all you can do is pour your heart out.”
Feehan’s parents, Stephen and Shari, He told KUTV “No parent could have asked for a better son, and carrying your legacy forward is now our goal,” he said Tuesday.
“To that end, we are building a scholarship in his name, which aims to open the doors of education to those who serve or hope to do so. We begin this with his death gift and welcome anyone who wishes to give,” they added.
AS HUTHI INCREASED THE THREAT, RUBIO ACCUSED IRAN OF FLYING IRGC PERSONNEL TO YEMEN
President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S. Army transport team carries a transfer case containing the remains of Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, Texas, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
The soldiers were killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan as CENTCOM and partner forces “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement over the weekend.
Swinton was killed while soldiers were trying to destroy an Iranian attack plane that was shot down at an air base in Iraq on Sunday.
President Donald Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and others greet a U.S. Army transport team carrying a transfer case containing the remains of Staff Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of North Carolina at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Matt Rourke/AP)
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Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.
Fox News’ Eric Mack and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
