One of the US service members killed by an Iranian drone strike during Operation Epic Fury has been identified by the Pentagon as Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The three others who lost their lives along with Amor were Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven; Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
The Pentagon has confirmed that the incident is under investigation.
Who was Nicole Amor?
Amor, who was killed Sunday in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack, was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, which is based in Des Moines, Iowa, as were the three other soldiers, the New York Post reported. She was enlisted in the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist, and then transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006. She was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.
Amor was just days away from returning home to her husband and two children, according to CBS News.
“She was almost home,” her husband, Joey Amor, said from their Minnesota home on Tuesday, March 3. “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 moved off-base to a shipping container-style building that had no defenses just a week before the attack, 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.
Joey said that he last spoke to Amor about two hours before she was killed. He said that she was working long shifts, and recalled that they had been messaging about her tripping and falling the night before.
“She just never responded in the morning,” he said.
The couple’s children are a senior in high school and a fourth-grader.
According to the U.S. Army Reserve, Amor received various awards and decorations throughout her service, including the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Medal, and Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz honored Amor in a post on X. “Minnesota is mourning the loss of Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor of White Bear Lake who was killed in Kuwait on Sunday,” he wrote. “She answered the call to serve and gave her life in service to our state and nation. Minnesotans are wrapping our arms around her loved ones.”
A giveinkind page has been launched for Amor’s family. “The Amor family is needing our support in providing meals to Joey + their two kids: Adeline and Owen, as they navigate this difficult time. The drop off time is flexible, and it’s best to drop the meal off on the front doorstep to give the family privacy. Meal gift cards are also welcome and there’s a way on this website to add those as well,” the page says.
The drone strike that killed the soldiers came a day after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran, which then launched retaliatory strikes. The operation resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which US President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post, calling him “one of the most evil people in History”.
