The Pentagon on Tuesday identified four of the six US soldiers killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, as families across several states began mourning loved ones who served in logistics roles far from the front lines.
According to the Associated Press, the soldiers died Sunday when a drone struck a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait — just a day after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting US forces.
Those identified were Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. Coady was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. The names of two other service members have not yet been released.
All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit responsible for supplying troops with food, fuel, water, ammunition and equipment.
“These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said.
President Donald Trump acknowledged the toll of the widening conflict.
“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” Trump said of the deaths.
For families, the loss is deeply personal.
Nicole Amor had been just days away from returning home to her husband and two children. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first — it hurts,” her husband, Joey Amor, said Tuesday.
He described his wife as an avid gardener who loved making salsa from peppers and tomatoes she grew with her high school-aged son. She enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
“If you needed anything, she would just take care of it for you,” Joey Amor said. “She’s helped a lot of people through a lot of dark times, and brought a lot of light to this world.”
Sgt. Declan Coady was a student at Drake University and worked as an information technology specialist in the Army Reserve, according to his LinkedIn profile. He had written that his service helped him learn to “interact with countless different kinds of people from all different backgrounds.”
Coady became an Eagle Scout in 2020, according to a Facebook post from his West Des Moines troop. An Iowa nonprofit that supports homeless children said he built 12 Adirondack chairs for the group.
Tietjens, 42, was married with a son, according to social media posts. Nebraska US Sen. Pete Ricketts said he and his wife were mourning his death.
“May we always remember and honor the sacrifices made by Noah Tietjens and the Tietjens family,” Ricketts said.
Online family photos show Tietjens with his wife and son, including one in which their son wears a martial arts uniform.
