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The Pentagon has solemnly released the final two names of the six U.S. soldiers who tragically lost their lives in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. This incident has left communities in California and Iowa grieving.
The soldiers identified on Wednesday were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, aged 54, from Sacramento, California, and Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, hailing from Indianola, Iowa.
These six dedicated members of the Army Reserve, whose critical roles in logistics ensured that troops were well-supplied with food and equipment, met their untimely end on Sunday. The unfortunate event occurred when a drone struck their command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. This attack came in the wake of the U.S. and Israel launching a military offensive against Iran, which responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel and several Gulf Arab nations hosting U.S. forces.
According to a statement from the Pentagon, Marzan was present at the command center during the drone strike and is believed to be among those who perished immediately. Official identification will be confirmed by a medical examiner, as per the Pentagon’s protocol.
While public records suggest Marzan was residing in Virginia, it appears he had family ties in the Sacramento area. Attempts to reach his family for comments remain unfulfilled, as they either could not be contacted or chose to refrain from making statements at this time.
The Pentagon said Marzan was at the scene when a drone strike hit the command center and is “believed to be the individual who perished at the scene,” according to the statement. A medical examiner will confirm identification, the Pentagon said.
Public records appeared to show Marzan living in Virginia but with family in the Sacramento area. Family members couldn’t immediately be reached or declined to comment.
The Pentagon listed O’Brien’s hometown as Indianola, a suburb of Des Moines. A person answering the door at a home address in Waukee, another suburb of Des Moines, did not comment, saying the family would release a statement.
The four soldiers previously identified by the Pentagon were: Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa,; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” President Donald Trump said of the deaths. Trump will attend the dignified transfers of the soldiers when they arrive in the U.S., the White House said Wednesday. The ritual honors service members killed in action.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement Wednesday offering prayers and condolences for the families of the Iowa residents killed.
“Our hearts are broken by the deaths of Major Jeffrey O’Brien and Sergeant Declan Coady, two brave Iowa soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure freedom and peace,” Reynolds said.
Nearly 15 years of service
O’Brien was promoted to major in August 2024, according to a Facebook post, which shows him alongside two young children. He served in the Army Reserve for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn.
The signal officer and information systems engineer in the Army Reserve was a manager of defensive cyber operations at an Iowa-based cybersecurity company, according to his LinkedIn. He had a career spanning two decades in information and cybersecurity.
O’Brien is survived by a wife and children, according to his aunt, Mary Melchert, who posted on Facebook. Melchert said O’Brien “was the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know. He is so missed already.”
Loving husband and father
Marzan’s sister described him on Facebook 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,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and acting Gov. Eleni Kounalakis offered condolences to Robert Marzan’s wife and family in a statement Wednesday, saying flags at the state Capitol will remain at half-staff in his honor.
They described him as “a courageous Californian whose service to our nation was marked by honor and distinction.”
A mother of 2 who loved gardening
Amor was just days away from returning to her husband and children.
“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, said Tuesday. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first it hurts.”
Amor was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers and tomatoes she grew with her son, a high school senior. She enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
A week before the drone attack, Amor was moved off-base to a shipping container-style building that had no defenses, her husband said.
“They were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places,” he said.
‘He loved being a soldier’
Coady had been checking in with his family from Kuwait every hour or two after the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran, even as Iran launched retaliatory strikes.
When he didn’t respond to messages Sunday, “most of us started to wonder,” Coady’s father, Andrew, told The Associated Press. “Your gut starts to get a feeling.”
Coady recently told his father he had been recommended for a promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received posthumously.
He was among the youngest people in his class, trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his instructors, Andrew Coady said Tuesday.
“He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said. “He was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”
Declan Coady, an Eagle Scout, was studying cybersecurity at Drake University in Des Moines, and he wanted to become an officer.
“I still don’t fully think it’s real,” his sister Keira Coady said. “I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back.”
A calling to serve his country
Khork was very patriotic and wanted to serve in the military from childhood, his family said in a statement Tuesday.
He enlisted in the Army Reserve and joined Florida Southern College’s ROTC program.
“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,” his mother, Donna Burhans; father, James Khork; and stepmother, Stacey Khork; said in a statement.
Khork, who loved history, had a degree in political science.
His family described him as “the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him.”
Abbas Jaffer posted Monday on Facebook about his friend of 16 years.
“My best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our country overseas,” Jaffer said.
A dedicated instructor and mentor
Tietjens, who came from a military family, previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February 2010, he reunited with his overjoyed wife in a local church’s gym.
Tietjens’ cousin Kaylyn Golike asked for prayers, especially for Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, wife and parents, as they navigate “unimaginable loss.”
“We lost a brave soldier this weekend and many hearts are broken,” Golike wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
Tietjens earned a black belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo and was “an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others,” the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance said on Facebook.
Army Staff Sgt. Jeff Coleman said Tietjens was his mentor.
“You could call him day or night,” Coleman told KETV. “He always took the time, you know, he made you feel important.”
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Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho, and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press reporters Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Josh Funk and Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; David Fischer in Miami; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, California, contributed.