The Pentagon publishes the names of the first US soldiers killed in the war with Iran

The Pentagon has released the names of four US Army Reserve Soldiers murdered during ongoing war with Iran. They were among six service members who He died when an Iranian attack hit a tactical operations center. in Kuwait.

The Department of Defense identified them as:

• Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
• Sergeant. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
• Sergeant. 1st class Nicole Love39, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota
• Sergeant. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa

They died Sunday in Port Shuaiba during an attack on an unmanned aircraft system, the Defense Department said in a statement Tuesday.

“We honor our fallen heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation. Their sacrifice and that of their families will never be forgotten,” Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of the U.S. Army Reserve and commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, said in a news release.

The four soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines.

“To the families and teammates of these Cactus Nation Soldiers, you have my deepest condolences and respect,” said Maj. Gen. Todd Erskine, commanding general of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command. “Our nation is kept safe because of people like these brave men and women who risk everything every day. They represent the heart of America. We will remember their names, their service and their sacrifice.”

Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 and was commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay in 2021 and Poland in 2024, the Army Reserve said. Amor enlisted in the National Guard in 2005 and transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019. Tietjens enlisted in the Reserve in 2006 and had two deployments to Kuwait, in 2009 and 2019. Coady, who, according to the Army Reserve, was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant, enlisted in the Reserve in 2023.

The names of the two other U.S. service members who have been killed are being withheld until next of kin are notified.

U.S. Central Command initially announced Sunday that three service members had died in Kuwait, and then said Monday that another had died from their wounds. Later, they said the remains of two previously missing service members were also recovered from a facility that was impacted during Iran’s initial attacks.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said the deadly incident occurred when a munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait. The Pentagon said the incident is under investigation.

As of Tuesday morning, the number of seriously wounded in the US-Iran conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, had dropped from 18 to 10 service members as they progressed through medical treatment, a US official said.

In a statement, the Khork family described Cody as “truly the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart and deep care for those who served alongside him and all who were fortunate enough to know him.”

“He was deeply patriotic and very proud to serve something greater than himself,” his family said in their statement. “Above all, Cody found the love of his life and carried that same devotion into both his personal life and his service to this country. He lived with purpose, loved deeply, and served honorably. His legacy will live on in the lives he touched, the example he set, and the love for the country and family that defined him.”

in a video message Sunday night, President Trump He offered his condolences to the families and warned that there would likely be more American casualties, saying that combat operations “will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.”

“We pray for the full recovery of the injured and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen,” Trump said. “And, unfortunately, there will probably be more before it’s over. That’s just the way it is.”

Hegseth had called the service members who were killed “America’s finest.” “May we process the rest of this operation in a way that honors them,” he said.

The United States and Israel launched a massive military operation early Saturday in Iran, which included striking Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiin Tehran and killing him. The Israel Defense Forces said other Iranian officials and commanders were also killed, including an adviser to Khamenei.

Since then, Iran’s military has launched retaliatory attacks against Israel and other US-allied nations in the Middle East.

On Monday, Trump said that the military operation between the United States and Israel represented the “last best chance” to address the threat posed by ballistic missiles and the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, and that the administration expects the campaign to last four to five weeks.