Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, died on March 1, 2026, during an “unmanned aircraft system attack,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

The statement added that the four Army Reserve soldiers were supporting Operation Epic Fury and that “the incident is under investigation.”

Iran War Casualties Emerge After Deadly Drone Strike in Kuwait

The identities of two additional service members killed in the attack have not yet been confirmed.

In the days following the strike, Joey Amor, the husband of Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, spoke publicly about the devastating loss. A mother of two, Nicole had been only days away from returning home.

COULD YOU COME HOME WITH ME, MOM?” The final words spoken by a soldier's child before the war claimed her life. Only days before she was scheduled to return to Minnesota, Sgt.

“She was almost home,” he told The Associated Press. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen. And for her to be one of the first – it hurts.”

Nicole worked in logistics, helping ensure troops remained supplied with essential resources, including food and equipment.

She and her fellow soldiers were killed just one day after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran.

Iran responded with missile strikes targeting several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. military bases.

Family Reveals Final Hours Before Deadly Attack

Joey Amor later revealed that Nicole had recently been moved off-base to what he described as a “shipping container-style building that had no defenses.”

He explained that U.S. forces had grown concerned about potential attacks on the base and began spreading personnel into smaller groups stationed at various locations.

According to Joey, Nicole had been working long and exhausting shifts in the days leading up to the attack. She had even tripped and fallen the night before.

He said the two spoke just two hours before the strike.

“She just never responded in the morning,” Amor added.

Nicole’s brother, Derek Hoff, told The New York Times that she had served in the military for two decades and that her deployment in Kuwait was likely meant to be her final one.

He said she was eager to return home. Her 18-year-old son preparing to graduate from high school, and her nine-year-old daughter is still growing up.

“She knew what she signed up for, and she did it because she had a job and a duty,” Hoff said.

President Donald Trump acknowledged the loss of life. He said that “sadly, there will likely be more [deaths] before [the war] ends.” He also added, “That’s the way it is.”