{"id":321934,"date":"2026-03-04T20:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/321934\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T20:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:30:07","slug":"he-was-smart-and-kind-and-amazing-four-american-soldiers-killed-in-kuwait-remembered-us-israel-war-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/321934\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He was smart and kind and amazing\u2019: four American soldiers killed in Kuwait remembered | US-Israel war on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

More details have emerged about four of the American service<\/a> members who were killed in an unmanned aircraft system attack in the Shuaiba port in Kuwait on Sunday, the first known US fatalities since the US and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The four soldiers were all assigned to the 103rd sustainment command in Des Moines, Iowa, and were \u201csupporting Operation Epic Fury\u201d the Department of Defense said<\/a>, adding that they \u201cdied on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack\u201d.<\/p>\n

The US Department of Defense identified<\/a> the US soldiers on Tuesday evening as Capt Cody A Khork, 35; Sgt first class Nicole M Amor, 39; Sgt Declan J Coady, 20; and Sgt first class Noah L Tietjens, 42.<\/p>\n

Two other service members who were killed have not yet been publicly identified. The incident remains under investigation.<\/p>\n

Since Saturday, when the US and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, US and Israeli forces have carried out large-scale strikes across Iran, including striking the compound of Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>, who was killed on Saturday. Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes, launching missiles aimed at Israel and US military<\/a> facilities in the region, including in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

When announcing the operation, Donald Trump<\/a> said that his administration was \u201ctaking every possible step to minimize the risk to US personnel in the region\u201d. But, he added that \u201cthe lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties\u201d adding that \u201cthat often happens in war\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday evening, the US Army Reserve said<\/a> that the US soldiers who were killed \u201cserved fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families, will never be forgotten,\u201d said Lt Gen Robert Harter, the chief of Army Reserve and the commanding general of US Army Reserve command, said. \u201cOn behalf of the Army Reserve, we express our heartfelt condolences to their families and loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is what we know about the four US service members who have been identified.<\/p>\n

Sgt Declan J Coady, 20Declan Coady. Photograph: Courtesy Keira Coady<\/p>\n

The US Army Reserve said that Coady, who was posthumously promoted from specialist, was a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, and had enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as a army information technology specialist. During his career, he received awards including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.<\/p>\n

Coady was a 2023 graduate<\/a> of Valley high school and was an Eagle Scout, according to a 2020 facebook post<\/a> from his Boy Scout troop in West Des Moines.<\/p>\n

In a statement,<\/a> Drake University in Des Moines said that Coady was a student at the university, studying information systems, cybersecurity and computer science. The school described him as a \u201ca well-loved and highly dedicated\u201d student who had \u201can incredibly bright future ahead of him\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement shared with the Guardian, Coady\u2019s sister, Keira Coady, said that \u201cas his older sister, I can\u2019t quite comprehend it even now, but the only thing I can think is that I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keira Coady holds a photo of her brother Sgt Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall\/AP<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was supposed to be 21 on May 5,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was just a baby, and will forever be mine and Aidan\u2019s baby brother, Rowan\u2019s older brother, and our parents\u2019 son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to find any words at all to describe Declan feels impossible at this moment,\u201d she added. \u201cHowever, to say what my mom would say is, \u2018He was so kind and so amazing, and he was my baby.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Keira said that growing up, he was part of a swim team, did fencing, and was an Eagle Scout. Outside of that, she said that he loved gaming and that \u201cwhile in Kuwait he was shipping home pieces so that when he came home he could build his own PC to not only play games but continue working in IT and cyber security.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeclan was a man of few words more often than not, but if you ever had the chance to talk to him about something he was passionate about you were lucky,\u201d she continued. \u201cHe was so smart and could just talk your ear off for hours about what he loved, and while we may not have always known what terms or acronyms he was throwing out we would always listen because we all loved to just hear him speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could think of words beyond that he was smart and kind and amazing, but even if I were to throw in other words it still wouldn\u2019t quite capture his spirit,\u201d she concluded. \u201cHe was truly a rock in all of our lives and was just the most amazing brother and son my family could have asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capt Cody A Khork, 35Cody Khork. Photograph: Sgt. Brent Newton\/US Army via AP<\/p>\n

Khork was a resident of Lakeland, Florida, the US Army Reserve said<\/a>. Khork had enlisted in the national guard as a multiple launch rocket system\/fire direction specialist in 2009, before commissioning as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014.<\/p>\n

Over his career, the Army Reserve said that he deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guant\u00e1namo Bay in 2021 and Poland in 2024. He received numerous awards, including the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.<\/p>\n

In a statement online<\/a>, the city of Winter Haven, Florida, said that Khork was a 2008 graduate of Lake Region high school and 2014 graduate of Florida Southern College.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriends remember Cody as someone who was easygoing, always smiling, and the kind of person who looked out for the people around him \u2013 the type of friend who made it feel like no time had passed when you ran into him around town,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

Florida Southern College said in a statement<\/a> that they mourned the loss of Khork, who they said was a political science major and member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and \u201cwas known among his classmates, professors, and friends for his \u201cleadership, character, and commitment to serving others\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a> to the New York Times on Tuesday, his family described him as \u201cdeeply patriotic\u201d and as someone who \u201ctook great pride in serving something greater than himself\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe lived with purpose, loved deeply, and served honorably,\u201d they added. \u201cHis legacy will endure in the lives he touched, the example he set, and the love of country and family that defined him.\u201d<\/p>\n

On social media, a friend of Khork\u2019s called him \u201cmy best friend, best man, and brother\u201d who he said \u201cgave his life defending our country overseas\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s helped me get through the hardest and lowest parts of my life and been there to celebrate the best\u201d they added. \u201cI\u2019ve watched him support others and myself through the years when he had nothing to his name and never complained about it. That\u2019s just the type of person he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went out doing what he loved, defending our freedom,\u201d the friend added.<\/p>\n

Sgt first class Nicole M Amor, 39Nicole and Joey Amor. Photograph: Joey Amor via AP<\/p>\n

Amor, a resident of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, enlisted in the national guard as a automated logistics specialist in 2005 and transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006, the Army Reserve said. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.<\/p>\n

Her awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.<\/p>\n

Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator, said in a statement<\/a> that Amor was an \u201cavid gardener who made salsa from the peppers and tomatoes in her garden with her son, a senior in high school\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe also enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter,\u201d the statement added. Klobuchar also shared a photo of Amor with her husband, Joey.<\/p>\n

Her husband, Joey Amor told the Associated Press<\/a> that around a week before the drone strike, Amor had been moved off-base to a shipping container-style building.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were dispersing because 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said that he last spoke to her about two hours before she was killed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just never responded in the morning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sgt first class Noah L Tietjens, 42Noah Tietjens. Photograph: Sgt. Brent Newton\/US Army via AP<\/p>\n

Tietjens, a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, the US Army Reserve said. He had multiple deployments, including in Kuwait in 2009 and in 2019, the release said. Tietjens\u2019 decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.<\/p>\n

His twin brother, Nicholas, described Noah to the New York Times<\/a> as someone who had proven himself to be a \u201cgreat leader\u201d and said that he was several months away from the end of his deployment in Kuwait.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just wanted to get there, and get it over with, and get back,\u201d Nicholas said.<\/p>\n

Tietjens is survived by his wife, Shelly, and their teenage son, Dylan. The Times reported that the family had trained together at Martial Arts International in Bellevue.<\/p>\n

In a statement <\/a>on Facebook, the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance wrote that they \u201care heartbroken to share the loss of our brother, Sergeant First Class Noah Lee Tietjens, who tragically lost his life while serving our country in Kuwait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo us, he was Mr Noah, a devoted husband and father, a respected Black Belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo, and an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others,\u201d the statement added<\/a>. \u201cNoah lived the martial arts code. He did not simply wear a Black Belt \u2026 he lived it. He led with integrity. He trained with purpose. He taught with humility.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More details have emerged about four of the American service members who were killed in an unmanned aircraft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-321934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}