The Department of Defense has confirmed the identity of a Sacramento Army Reservist killed in an Iranian drone strike earlier this month.
The Pentagon announced Wednesday the remains of 54-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan were positively identified by a medical examiner. The Department of Defense previously said it believed Marzan had died at the scene of the March 1 strike.
He is listed as a resident of Spotsylvania, Virginia but grew up in the Sacramento area, where he enlisted in the Army in 1990. Marzan transferred to the Army Reserve in 1994 and became a Data Operations Warrant Officer in 2011. The Army Reserve said he deployed overseas to Croatia and Bosnia in 1996, and Egypt and Kuwait from 2019-2020.
Marzan’s awards include a Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal and two Army Commendation Medals, among other decorations.
Marzan was a 1989 graduate of Elk Grove High School. An Instagram page for the graduating class posted a condolence message following news of his death.
“For those of us who walked the halls of Elk Grove High with Robert, he will always be remembered as a fellow classmate and a part of the fabric of our community,” the statement said. “Like so many who grow up in Elk Grove, he carried the values of service, commitment, and dedication far beyond our hometown.”
Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen also mourned Marzan, writing “this is tragic. May he rest in eternal peace.” The city lowered the Elk Grove and Wilton Rancheria flags to half-staff in his honor.
Members of Marzan’s family also publicly posted remembrances of Marzan on social media. “Well done faithful servant,” his sister Elizabeth Marzan wrote.
“A strong leader who lived by example. Very loyal. My hero. My baby brother, you are loved and I will hold onto all our memories and cherish them always in my heart. I miss and love you so much.”
Marzan’s niece Irene Mary wrote the Army Reservist was on his final deployment and two months away from coming home. “I don’t understand this unimaginable devastation and deep pain as I struggle to share this. I don’t understand,” she wrote.
“You’re our Hero with a servant’s heart, you lead with love and bravery, you gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, an honorable soldier, and I believe God welcomed you Home with open arms saying ‘Well done, my son, well done.’”
Other condolences were posted by Governor Gavin Newsom and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, Representative Doris Matsui and Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen.
Marzan was the last of the six soldiers killed in the drone attack to be identified. All were members of the 103rd Sustainment Command out of Des Moines, Iowa, and were manning a command post in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
The other soldiers were previously identified as:
Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa
Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa
“To the families and teammates of these Cactus Nation Soldiers: you have my deepest sympathy and my respect,” said Maj. Gen. Todd Erskine, Commanding General of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command in a statement. “Our nation is kept safe by folks like these—brave men and women who put it all on the line every single day. They represent the heart of America. We will remember their names, their service, and their sacrifice.”
Their remains were returned to Dover Air Force Base on Saturday in a dignified transfer.
They were the first American servicemembers killed in the war. The Pentagon announced Monday a seventh soldier, 26-year-old Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington of Glendale, Kentucky, had died of his wounds during an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1.
A Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday more than 140 American troops have been wounded since the first strikes on Iran were launched on Feb. 28, eight of them severely.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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