Robert Marzan was a bear of a man, round chested and with hands as big as catcher\u2019s mitts.<\/p>\n
But he was a gentle giant, said niece Irene Fernandez, who called Marzan \u201cmy loving and fun uncle, grandma\u2019s baby, a devoted husband, protective and loving father, baby brother, cousin and best friend to many.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marzan, 54, a chief warrant officer 3 in the Army Reserve and a Sacramento native, became the first Californian to die in the U.S. war against Iran when he and five other soldiers were reported killed in a drone strike Sunday in Kuwait.<\/p>\n
A veteran of more than 30 years in the military, Marzan, a Filipino American, was in the final two months of his deployment. His wife Tina said the family planned a celebration to mark both his 55th birthday and the end of his military service when he returned
Marzan also left behind a daughter, Felicia, 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re our Hero with a servant\u2019s heart,\u201d Fernandez wrote of her uncle on social media. \u201cYou lead with love and bravery, you gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, an honorable soldier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marzan was with the 103rd Sustainment Command, a supply unit headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, that was on its third deployment in the Middle East. He was stationed at a command center in the Port of Shuaiba, just south of Kuwait City, when the base was hit without warning by a retaliatory strike that made it through defenses the day after U.S. and Israel launched a thunderous air and missile attack on Iran.<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the command center as a \u201ctactical operation center that was fortified.\u201d Others likened it to a triple-wide trailer, surrounded by concrete barriers but with no protection overhead.<\/p>\n
Older sister Elizabeth remember Marzan as a loving husband and father as well as \u201ca strong leader who lived by example. My hero,\u201d she wrote on social media.<\/p>\n
Retired US Army Col. Josef Sujet, the former chief of staff of Marzan\u2019s unit, told CNN Marzan was a \u201cpretty down to earth guy\u201d but still \u201cblunt and honest about what his thoughts were.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 1989 graduate of Elk Grove High, just south of Sacramento, Marzan was a career soldier who spent most of his adult live in Des Moines but had recently bought a house in Spotsylvania, Virginia.<\/p>\n