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Families remember U.S. reservists killed in Kuwait, members of an Iowa logistics unit

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By The Associated Press Keira Coady holds a photo of her brother, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, outside her home Tuesday in West Des Moines, Iowa.
− Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Sgt.
+ Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — The last two names of the six U.S.
− 1st Class Nicole Amor was just days away from returning home to her husband and two children when a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait killed her and five other U.S.
+ soldiers killed in a Kuwait attack were released Wednesday by the Pentagon, and they are from California and Iowa. The soldiers identified Wednesday were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento and Maj.
− service members.
+ Jeffrey O'Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa.
− "She was almost home," her husband, Joey Amor, said from their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on Tuesday.
+ The Pentagon said Marzan was at the scene when a drone strike hit the command center in Kuwait and is "believed to be the individual who perished at the scene," according to the statement.
− "You don't go to Kuwait thinking something's going to happen, and for her to be one of the first — it hurts." Amor was one of four U.S.
+ A medical examiner will confirm identification, the Pentagon said. Middle East conflict The U.S.
− soldiers killed in the Iran war on Sunday and identified Tuesday by the Pentagon; two soldiers haven't yet been publicly identified.
+ sinks Iran's ships and slams its missile launchers as the war enters Day 5 The Pentagon listed O'Brien's home address as Indianola, but his listed address is in Waukee.
− The members of the Army Reserve worked in logistics and kept troops supplied with food and equipment.
+ Both are suburbs of Des Moines. A person answering the door at the Waukee home did not immediately comment, saying the family would release a statement.
− Middle East conflict Strikes resume on Iran, U.S.
+ Four soldiers were previously identified by the Pentagon on Tuesday. They died Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, just a day after the U.S.
− military says Tehran's defenses 'severely degraded' They died just one day after the U.S.
and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
− Those killed also included Capt.
+ The other four soldiers identified were: Sgt.
− Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt.
+ Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa,; Sgt.
− 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt.
+ 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt.
− Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.
+ Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt.
− No other names were released.
+ 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
− "These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said. All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
"Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends.
− That's the way it is," President Donald Trump said of deaths.
+ That's the way it is," President Trump said of the deaths. Trump will attend the dignified transfers of the soldiers when they arrive in the U.S., the White House said Wednesday. The ritual honors service members killed in action.
− Coady had just told his father last week that he had been recommended for a promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received posthumously.
+ Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement Wednesday offering prayers and condolences for the families of the Iowa residents killed.
− He was one of the youngest people in his class but seemed to impress his instructors, his father Andrew Coady said Tuesday.
+ "Our hearts are broken by the deaths of Major Jeffrey O'Brien and Sergeant Declan Coady, two brave Iowa soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure freedom and peace," Reynolds said.
− "He was very good at what he did," he said.
+ O'Brien was promoted to major in August 2024, according to a Facebook post, which shows him alongside two young children. He served in the Army Reserve for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn.
− Coady trained as an information technology specialist with the Army Reserves and was studying cybersecurity at Drake University in Des Moines.
+ The signal officer and information systems engineer in the Army Reserve was a manager of defensive cyber operations at an Iowa-based cybersecurity company, according to his LinkedIn.
− He was taking online classes while in Kuwait and wanted to become an officer.
+ He had a career spanning two decades in information and cybersecurity.
− "I still don't fully think it's real," his sister Keira Coady said.
+ Amor was just days away from returning to her husband and children. "She was almost home," her husband, Joey Amor, said Tuesday.
− "I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back." Amor, 39, was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers and tomatoes in her garden with her son, a senior in high school.
+ "You don't go to Kuwait thinking something's going to happen, and for her to be one of the first — it hurts." Amor was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers and tomatoes she grew with her son, a high school senior.
− She also enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
+ She enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
− A week before the drone attack, Amor was moved off-base to a shipping container-style building that had no defenses, Joey Amor said.
+ A week before the drone attack, Amor was moved off-base to a shipping container-style building that had no defenses, her husband said.
− "They 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," he said.
+ "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," he said.
− He last spoke to her about two hours before she was killed.
+ Coady had been checking in with his family from Kuwait every hour or two after the U.S.
− He said she was working long shifts and they had been messaging about her tripping and falling the night before.
+ and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran, even as Iran launched retaliatory strikes.
− "She just never responded in the morning," he said.
+ When he didn't respond to messages Sunday, "most of us started to wonder," Coady's father, Andrew, told The Associated Press. "Your gut starts to get a feeling." Coady recently told his father he had been recommended for a promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received posthumously.
− Khork was very patriotic and drawn from a young age to serving the U.S., his family said in a statement Tuesday.
+ He was among the youngest people in his class, trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his instructors, Andrew Coady said Tuesday.
+ "He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier," Coady said. "He was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone." Coady, an Eagle Scout, was close to his family and often called, even if for only a few minutes. He was studying cybersecurity at Drake University in Des Moines, and he wanted to become an officer. "I still don't fully think it's real," his sister Keira Coady said. "I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back." Khork was very patriotic and wanted to serve in the military from childhood, his family said in a statement Tuesday.
He enlisted in the Army Reserve and joined Florida Southern College's ROTC program.
− "That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was," said his mother, Donna Burhans, father, James Khork, and stepmother, Stacey Khork, in a statement.
+ "That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was," his mother, Donna Burhans; father, James Khork; and stepmother, Stacey Khork; said in a statement.
− Khork also loved history and had a degree in political science.
+ Khork, who loved history, had a degree in political science.
− His family described him as "the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him." One of Khork's friends, Abbas Jaffer, posted on Facebook on Monday that he had lost the best person he had ever known.
+ His family described him as "the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him." Abbas Jaffer posted Monday on Facebook about his friend of 16 years.
"My best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our country overseas," Jaffer said.
− Khork and Jaffer had been friends for more than 16 years.
− Tietjens lived with his family in the Washington Terrace mobile home park in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue, Nebraska.
+ Tietjens, who came from a military family, previously served alongside his father in Kuwait.
− He was married with a son, according to a Facebook page.
+ When he returned home in February 2010, he reunited with his overjoyed wife in a local church's gym.
− Tietjens earned a black belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo and was "an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others," the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance said in a Facebook post.
+ Tietjens' cousin Kaylyn Golike asked for prayers, especially for Tietjens' 12-year-old son, wife and parents, as they navigate "unimaginable loss." "We lost a brave soldier this weekend and many hearts are broken," Golike wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
− On the mat and as a soldier, "he carried the same values: honor, discipline, service, and commitment to others," the organization said.
+ Tietjens earned a black belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo and was "an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others," the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance said on Facebook.
− Nebraska Gov.
+ Army Staff Sgt.
− Gov. Pillen paid tribute to the family Tuesday.
+ Jeff Coleman said Tietjens was his mentor.
− "Noah stepped up to serve and defend the American people from foreign enemies around the world — a sacrifice we must never forget," he wrote. "We are holding the Tietjens family close in our hearts during this unbelievably difficult time and will keep them in our prayers," he said. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor
+ "You could call him day or night," Coleman told KETV. "He always took the time, you know, he made you feel important." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor