Six Army Reserve Soldiers Killed in Kuwait Drone Attack Remembered by Families

Six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers died in a drone strike at a Kuwait command center during military operations against Iran. The fallen service members, including 20-year-old Sgt. Declan Coady from Iowa, are being remembered by their families for their dedication to service and love for their loved ones.

Family members are mourning six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who lost their lives in a drone attack on a Kuwait command facility during ongoing military operations against Iran.

Twenty-year-old Sgt. Declan Coady from West Des Moines, Iowa, had been regularly contacting his family from Kuwait with hourly updates to confirm his safety as military actions unfolded between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.

“When he hadn’t responded to messages Sunday, most of us started to wonder,” his father Andrew told The Associated Press. “Your gut starts to get a feeling.”

The Pentagon identified four of the six logistics specialists killed in the attack on Tuesday: Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, from White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, from Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, from Bellevue, Nebraska. Two additional soldiers have not been publicly named.

President Donald Trump acknowledged the casualties, stating “Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended military preparations, saying Wednesday that the military “ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense. The terms of this war will be set by us at every step.”

Amor was scheduled to return home within days to reunite with her spouse and two children.

“She was almost home,” her husband Joey Amor shared from their residence Tuesday. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.”

Nicole Amor enjoyed cultivating her garden and creating homemade salsa with peppers and tomatoes alongside her high school senior son. She also loved rollerblading and cycling with her fourth-grade daughter.

According to her husband, Amor had been relocated from the main base to a container-style structure without protective measures just one week before the fatal attack.

“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 explained.

Joey Amor said his wife was working extended hours and their final conversation occurred approximately two hours before her death, during which they shared lighthearted jokes about a minor fall she had experienced.

“She just never responded in the morning,” he said.

Coady had recently learned of his recommendation for advancement from specialist to sergeant, a promotion he received after his death.

Despite being among the youngest in his training program for military computer system troubleshooting, he impressed his instructors, according to his father Andrew Coady.

“He trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said Tuesday. “He was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”

The young soldier maintained close family ties through frequent phone calls, even brief ones. While pursuing cybersecurity studies at Drake University in Des Moines, he continued his education online from Kuwait with aspirations of becoming an officer.

“I still don’t fully think it’s real,” his sister Keira Coady reflected. “I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back.”

Khork demonstrated strong patriotic values and military interest from an early age, according to a family statement released Tuesday.

After enlisting in the Army Reserve, he participated in 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,” stated his mother Donna Burhans, father James Khork, and stepmother Stacey Khork.

With a passion for history and a political science degree, Khork was described by his family 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.”

Friend Abbas Jaffer wrote on Facebook Monday about losing someone exceptional.

“My best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our country overseas,” Jaffer posted, noting their friendship spanning over 16 years.

Tietjens resided with his family at Washington Terrace mobile home park in Bellevue, Nebraska, an Omaha suburb. He leaves behind a wife and son, based on social media information.

Having achieved black belt status in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo, Tietjens served as “an instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others,” according to the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance’s Facebook tribute.

The organization noted that whether training or serving as a soldier, “he carried the same values: honor, discipline, service, and commitment to others.”

Nebraska Governor Pete Pillen honored the family Tuesday.

“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,” the governor added.