The six members of the logistics unit, which provides food, fuel, water, and ammunition to forces in the region, were the first soldiers from the 103rd Sustainment Command killed in the conflict. Senior administration officials, governors, and senators from the home states of all six fallen soldiers attended the ceremony at Dover.
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance joined the families of six fallen U.S. soldiers Saturday at Dover Air Force Base as flag-draped transfer cases were carried from a military aircraft in a dignified transfer ceremony lasting about a half hour. The soldiers — all Army Reserve members from the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa — were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait, one day after the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.
The six soldiers killed in action were Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. All served in a unit that provides food, fuel, water, ammunition, transport equipment, and supplies.
Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, saluted silently as each case was carried to awaiting transfer vehicles bound for the base’s mortuary facility. Protocol calls for the president not to speak during the transfer itself. Aboard Air Force One returning to Florida afterward, Trump told reporters, “It’s a very sad day,” adding that he was “glad we paid our respects.” He described the relatives of the deceased as “great people, great parents, wives, family” and said “the parents were so proud.”
Administration and elected officials at Dover
Both Trump and Vance attended with their spouses. Also present were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Governors and senators from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Florida were also in attendance.
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran and Republican, said earlier in the week after the six were identified: “These soldiers engaged in the most noble mission: protecting their fellow Americans and keeping our homeland secure. Our nation owes them an incredible debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.”
The fallen
Nicole Amor had been scheduled to return home within days of her death. Her husband, Joey Amor, said: “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first — it hurts.” Amor is survived by her husband and two children.
O’Brien had served in the Army Reserve for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn account. His aunt wrote on Facebook that he “was the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know. He is so missed already.”
Marzan’s sister, Elizabeth Marzan, described her brother as a strong leader and loving husband, father, and brother. “My baby brother, you are loved and I will hold onto all our memories and cherish them always in my heart,” she wrote on Facebook.
Coady, at 20 among the youngest of the group, had trained to troubleshoot military computer systems and impressed his instructors. His father, Andrew Coady, told the Associated Press: “He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier. He was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”
Khork’s family described him as the life of the party known for his infectious spirit and generous heart who had wanted to serve in the military since childhood. “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,” according to a statement from his mother, Donna Burhans, his father, James Khork, and his stepmother, Stacey Khork.
Tietjens came from a military family and had previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. His cousin Kaylyn Golike asked for prayers especially for Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, wife, and parents as they navigate what she described as “unimaginable loss.”
A somber presidential duty
The dignified transfer is considered one of the most somber duties of the commander in chief. During his first term, Trump described witnessing such ceremonies as “the toughest thing I have to do” as president. He most recently traveled to Dover in December to honor two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter killed in an ambush attack in Syria. During his first term he attended dignified transfers for a Navy SEAL killed in a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan.