Families mourn US soldiers killed in Iran war after Kuwait drone strike

Friends and family of US soldiers killed in Iran war mourn loved ones

Friends and relatives of four U.S. service members killed in the Iran war said the deaths were arriving with no time for preparation, following a drone strike at a Kuwait command center as the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.

Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor was identified by the Pentagon on Tuesday as one of the four Americans killed on Sunday; two other soldiers had not been publicly identified by then, according to the report. The members of the Army Reserve were described as serving in logistics roles that helped keep troops supplied with food and equipment, and they died one day after the start of the U.S. and Israel military campaign against Iran.

Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, spoke from their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, saying, “She was almost home,” and adding, “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.” He said Amor had been just days away from returning to him and their two children when she was killed.

Amor, 39, was described by family as an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from peppers and tomatoes in her garden, and who also liked rollerblading and biking with her fourth-grade daughter. Joey Amor said she had been moved about a week earlier to a shipping-container-style building with no defenses, and that they believed the change was made because personnel feared their previous location might be attacked, with groups dispersed into separate smaller areas.

Declan Coady was also among those killed in Kuwait, and the report said his family was still trying to absorb the news. Coady, 20, had recently been recommended for a promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received posthumously, the report said. His father, Andrew Coady, described his son as impressing instructors and said, “He was very good at what he did.”

According to the report, Coady trained as an information technology specialist in the Army Reserve and was studying cybersecurity at Drake University in Des Moines. The report said he was taking online classes while in Kuwait and wanted to become an officer, and his sister, Keira Coady, said, “I still don’t fully think it’s real,” adding, “I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back.”

The other identified service members included Capt. Cody Khork, 35, from Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, from Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, from West Des Moines, Iowa, the report said. No additional names were released beyond those identifications.

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said in a statement, “These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.” The report said all the identified service members were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.

The report quoted President Donald Trump describing the possibility of more U.S. fatalities as the conflict continued, saying, “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” after the U.S. and Israel launched the military campaign against Iran. It said Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.

Khork’s family described him as very patriotic and drawn from a young age to serving in the U.S., according to a statement released Tuesday. The report said he enlisted in the Army Reserve and joined Florida Southern College’s ROTC program, and that his mother, Donna Burhans, his father, James Khork, and stepmother, Stacey Khork, said in their statement that his ROTC commitment “helped shape the course of his life” and reflected a “deep sense of duty” at the core of who he was.

Coady and Amor were not the only relatives who turned to social media and statements to describe personal qualities, the report said. A friend of Khork, Abbas Jaffer, posted on Facebook on Monday that he had lost “the best person I have ever known” and said Khork had been his “best friend, best man, and brother” who “gave his life defending our country overseas,” adding that the two had been friends for more than 16 years.

Tietjens lived with his family in the Washington Terrace mobile home park in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue, Nebraska, the report said. It described him as married with a son, and said he had earned black belts in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo and was “an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others,” citing a Facebook post from the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance. The report said the alliance described him on and off the mat as carrying values of “honor, discipline, service, and commitment to others.”

The report also said Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen paid tribute to Tietjens on Tuesday, writing, “Noah stepped up to serve and defend the American people from foreign enemies around the world — a sacrifice we must never forget,” and adding that the family was in his “hearts” and that they would be kept in prayers.