President Donald Trump stood at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware with several federal and state leaders on March 7 to pay tribute to the six fallen U.S. service members who were killed in Kuwait during Iran’s first wave of retaliation to Operation Epic Fury.
Maj. Jeffery R. O’Brien of Iowa, Capt. Cody A. Khork of Florida, Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan of California, Sgt. First Class Nicole M. Amor of Minnesota, Sgt. First Class Noah L. Tietjens of Nebraska, and Sgt. Declan J. Coady of Iowa were members of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command out of Des Moines, Iowa. They were killed in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
Their remains were returned stateside for a dignified transfer. The fallen soldiers are first flown to Dover Air Force Base, where they are identified by their families. They are then placed in caskets and transported to their final resting places.
Earlier that same day, Trump shared his plans to attend the transfer while speaking to leaders of several Latin American countries in Miami. He called it “a very sad situation” to greet the families of fallen heroes coming home from war.
“They’re great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way,” Trump said.
The president attended the solemn event in the company of the service members’ families, as well as leaders and lawmakers from their respective states.
Those leaders included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen; Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and her husband, Kevin Reynolds; Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.); Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.); Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa); and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
No elected representatives from California or Minnesota were in attendance.
Several other members of the Trump administration were also present, including Vice President JD Vance and his wife, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, and U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George.
Once the transfer is complete, the president is expected to return to South Florida.
Since Operation Epic Fury was launched on Feb. 28, no additional fatality has been reported after the six fallen service members, as of March 7, with several reported to have received injuries in Iran’s initial response.
“When it comes to war, there’s always that,” Trump said of casualties. “We’re going to keep it to a minimum.”
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