US-Iran war | ‘Days away from returning home’: US military personnel killed in Iran ops identified

At least six US soldiers have died since America and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran over the weekend, with the Pentagon confirming the identity of four US Army Reserve soldiers who died when a missile from Tehran hit a tactical operations centre in Kuwait.

In a statement, the Pentagon said the US service members were Army Reserve soldiers who died on March 1 “during an unmanned aircraft system attack” on a commercial port in Kuwait. The Trump administration has warned that more US casualties are expected during its ongoing military operations against Iran.

Who were the 4 US soldiers who died during Iran ops?

All four deceased soldiers were part of the 103rd Sustainment Command, based in Des Moines, Iowa and had been deployed earlier to Iraq in April 2010 and the Middle East in 2019 to support US military operations, as per Army Reserve’s website.

Nicole Amor, 39

Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor was a resident of Minnesota’s White Bear Lake. She started her career after enlisting in the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist. Amor was transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait in 2019.

Amor was just a few days away from returning home when she got killed in Kuwait during Iranian drone strikes against US and Israel. “She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, said, adding, “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts,” AP reported.

Declan Coady, 20

Sergeant Declan J. Coady, who was posthumously promoted from specialist, was a resident of Des Moines and had enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist, according to the Department of Defense. Coady had been awarded with the National Defense Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon and Army Service Ribbon.

As per a TIME magazine report, Coady was studying at Drake University in Des Moines via online classes with subjects including information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science. The university told the magazine in a statement that it was “heartbroken” to learn of Coady’s death.

Cody Khork, 35

Captain Cody A. Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 and was a resident of Winter Haven, Florida. Khork worked as a fire direction specialist and in 2014, he got commissioned as Military Police Officer in the Army Reserve. Among his several deployments were postings in Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay in 2021 and Poland in 2024.

Captain Khork was a well-decorated service member, having received Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Korea Defense Service Medal. His family said, “He was deeply patriotic and took great pride in serving something greater than himself,” New York Times reported.

Noah Tietjens, 42

Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens enlisted in the Army Reserve as a wheeled vehicle mechanic in 2006 and was posted to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. He was a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska and completed at least four tours in countries including Kuwait and Iraq. His brother Nicholas told the NYT that Tietjens was three months away from ending his deployment in Kuwait.

Sergeant Tietjens left behind his wife Shelly and a teenage son, Dylan. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen condoled his death in a post on X and wrote, “Noah stepped up to serve and defend the American people from foreign enemies around the world — a sacrifice we must never forget.”