Trump, First Lady Grieve With Families of First Americans Killed in Iran War

President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday for the dignified transfer of six American service members killed in a March 1 Iranian drone attack in Kuwait.The solemn ritual returns the remains of troops killed in action and is widely considered one of the most sobering responsibilities of a commander in chief. During his first term, Mr. Trump noted that bearing witness to a similar transfer was “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.As protocol dictates, Mr. Trump stood silently, offering a salute as each flag-draped transfer case was carried from the military aircraft to waiting vehicles. The service members were then moved to a mortuary facility to be prepared for their final journey home.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Florida later Saturday, Trump reflected on the ceremony. “It’s a very sad day,” he said, adding that he was “glad we paid our respects.” He described the relatives of the deceased as “great people, great parents, wives, family,” and noted that the “parents were so proud.”Earlier, before traveling to Delaware, Trump called the fallen service members heroes who are “coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.” He described the attack as “a very sad situation” and pledged to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”The president and first lady were joined by Vice President J.D. Vance and his spouse, alongside a delegation of top administration officials. Attendees included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; Attorney General Pam Bondi; the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles; special envoy Steve Witkoff; and the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.Several governors and senators from the soldiers’ home states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Florida were also present.Mr. Hegseth recognized the fallen in a social media post on Friday, highlighting “an unbreakable spirit to honor their memory and the resolve they embodied.”All six soldiers were members of the Army Reserve assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa. The unit specializes in providing critical logistics, including food, fuel, water, and ammunition. They were supporting Operation Epic Fury when their position at a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, was struck by an unmanned aircraft.The families of all six soldiers attended the transfer ceremony, mourning loved ones whose lives and careers spanned the country:Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota;Amor, an automated logistics specialist, deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019. Her husband, Joey Amor, noted she had been scheduled to return home to him and their two children within days. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first — it hurts,” Mr. Amor said.Maj. Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa;A Signal Corps officer who worked in cybersecurity as a civilian, O’Brien served nearly 15 years in the Army Reserve. His aunt shared a tribute on Facebook, writing that he “was the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know. He is so missed already.”Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California;Marzan’s sister, Elizabeth Marzan, described him as a “strong leader” and a loving family man in a Facebook post. “My baby brother, you are loved and I will hold onto all our memories and cherish them always in my heart,” she wrote.Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa;Posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant, Coady was an information technology specialist and one of the youngest in his class. His father, Andrew Coady, said, “He loved being a soldier. He was also one of the kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida;Khork’s family described him as “the life of the party” with an “infectious spirit” and a “generous heart.” Reflecting on his lifelong desire to serve, his parents and stepmother released a statement saying, “That 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.”Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska;Tietjens, a wheeled vehicle mechanic, came from a military family and had previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. His cousin, Kaylyn Golike, asked for prayers for his 12-year-old son, wife, and parents as they navigate “unimaginable loss.”

Trump, First Lady Grieve With Families of First Americans Killed in Iran War

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