The Department of War on Tuesday identified four U.S. Army soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, naming the reservists who died while supporting Operation Epic Fury.

The fallen service members were 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; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.

 

According to the Pentagon, the soldiers were killed March 1 at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, when an unmanned aircraft system targeted their position. All four were Army Reserve members assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Two additional casualties from the attack have not yet been publicly identified as officials continue notifying family members.

Photos of the fallen soldiers began circulating online shortly after their names were released, as tributes poured in honoring their service and sacrifice.

The attack came during Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.–Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s military leadership and strategic infrastructure. The operation escalated over the weekend when Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes on regime command centers, a blow that shattered much of Tehran’s top leadership structure.

Iran responded with a wave of missile and drone attacks across the region. An analysis cited by the New York Times found that at least six U.S. military facilities were targeted in the aftermath of the opening strikes. Those attacks hit bases in Bahrain, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and multiple sites in Kuwait, damaging several structures and communications systems used by American forces.

Officials have not disclosed how many missiles or drones were launched during the retaliatory barrage, nor how many incoming threats were intercepted by U.S. defenses.

As the situation deteriorated across the region, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Americans in more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries to leave immediately if possible, citing the rapidly shifting security environment.

President Trump addressed the nation after the casualties were confirmed, warning that the conflict may continue to claim lives while pledging a forceful response.

“Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” Trump said. “We’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case, but America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization.”