Pentagon releases names of four U.S. Soldiers killed by Iranian drone strike

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Pentagon has identified four U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike on a U.S. military facility in Kuwait, marking the first confirmed American fatalities in the escalating conflict with Iran.

The soldiers, all assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, were:

1. Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida

2. Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska

3. Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota

4. Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa

The soldiers died on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, when an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle struck a makeshift tactical operations center, a fortified but vulnerable structure described in some reports as a triple-wide trailer converted into office and command space.

The attack occurred shortly after the launch of joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, which began over the weekend.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the incident on Monday, stating that the strike evaded air defenses and hit the facility directly, with one projectile penetrating protections.

Reports indicate there was no prior warning or siren, leaving personnel little time to seek cover. The facility lacked full overhead hardening, raising questions about force protection measures in forward-deployed logistics hubs amid heightened regional threats.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) initially reported three soldiers deaths from the strike but later revised the toll to six after recovering the remains of two additional service members from the rubble and confirming that one wounded individual succumbed to injuries. The identities of the two remaining fatalities have not yet been released.

These six deaths represent the only U.S. military fatalities confirmed since the start of strikes against Iran, though at least 18 other service members have been seriously wounded in related actions across the region.

Iranian retaliation has targeted U.S. and allied facilities in multiple Gulf states, including Kuwait, with drones and missiles intercepted in many cases but some evading defenses.