Pentagon identifies first US soldiers killed in Iran war

Four members of the U.S. Army Reserve were killed in a drone attack on a U.S. military facility in Kuwait, marking some of the first American casualties in the escalating conflict with Iran.

The Pentagon said the soldiers died when a drone struck a logistics installation at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait. The facility was part of a support operation used to supply U.S. forces across the Middle East.

Soldiers Identified

The U.S. military identified the four members of the Iowa-based unit as:

• Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
• Sergeant 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
• Sergeant 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
• Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa

All served with the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, part of the Army’s global logistics and supply network.

Coady had enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 and was posthumously promoted after the attack.

Military Background

Several of the soldiers had prior overseas deployments:

• Khork previously served in Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay and Poland.
• Amor deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.
• Tietjens had earlier deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019.

Major General Todd Erskine, commander of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command, extended condolences to the soldiers’ families and fellow service members.

Wider Conflict Escalation

The deaths occurred amid escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran. U.S. Central Command said Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones across the region since retaliatory attacks began.

U.S. officials warned that more casualties are likely as Iranian strikes continue targeting American assets in the Middle East.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed lawmakers on the situation. Senator Chris Murphy said officials acknowledged that additional American deaths were likely because drones could not be fully intercepted.

Officials said the facility hit in Kuwait was protected by blast walls but lacked a fortified roof. It was unclear whether air defenses were active at the time of the strike, and reports suggest no alarm sounded before the drone impact.