Trump and Melania attend transfer for six US troops killed in Kuwait drone strike

KENT COUNTY, DELAWARE: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a solemn dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base on March 7 to honor six American service members killed in a drone attack in Kuwait.

The troops were killed on March 1 when an Iranian drone struck their position in Port Shuaiba while they were supporting Operation Epic Fury. 

Trump honors six soldiers killed in Kuwait drone attack

The dignified transfer ceremony brought together military leaders, government officials, and the families of the fallen service members. Each of the soldiers’ families attended the ceremony as their loved ones were brought home.

The six soldiers were members of the 103rd Sustainment Command, based in Des Moines, Iowa. The command plays a key logistical role in military operations by providing food, fuel, water, and ammunition, while also transporting equipment and supplies.

Following the transfer process, the remains are carefully identified before being placed in caskets and transported to their final resting places.

Speaking earlier at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before traveling to Delaware, President Trump acknowledged the sacrifice made by the soldiers. He described them as heroes who were “coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.”

The president also called the attack “a very sad situation” and said he would work to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”

Military identifies six soldiers killed in Kuwait drone strike

The War Department identified the fallen soldiers as Major Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Captain Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, was also believed to have died in the attack. 

All six were serving in the Army Reserve and were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command when the drone strike occurred. Officials said the soldiers were carrying out operational duties in the region when the unmanned aircraft struck their position in Port Shuaiba.

Military leaders, families honor soldiers killed in Kuwait

Pete Hegseth, who also attended the ceremony, shared a message honoring the soldiers in a social media post the day before the transfer.

He wrote of “an unbreakable spirit to honor their memory and the resolve they embodied.” Several of the fallen service members had long careers of military service and had previously deployed to the Middle East and other regions.

Captain Cody Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a multiple launch rocket system and fire direction specialist before commissioning as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He served deployments to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay in 2021, and Poland in 2024. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with a 10 Year Device and “M” Device.

Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor joined the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist and later transferred to the Army Reserve. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019 and earned several commendations, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with an “M” Device.

Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens entered the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and completed deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. His military honors include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star.

Sergeant Declan Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist. Following his death, he was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.

Major Jeffery O’Brien served nearly 15 years in the Army Reserve. Commissioned in 2012 as a Signal Corps officer, he was promoted to major in 2024 and had previously deployed to Kuwait in 2019. Outside the military, he worked in cybersecurity and defensive cyber operations.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, described by family and officials as a devoted husband and father, was also an Army reservist assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command.