US National Guard Soldier Dies in Health-Related Incident in Kuwait

The War Department stated on March 8 that a National Guard soldier died in a “non-combat related incident” in northern Kuwait.

Maj. Sorffly Davius, 46, from Cambria Heights in Queens died on March 6 at Camp Buehring.

Davius, a police officer in New York, was assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division’s headquarters battalion based in Troy, New York.

The War Department stated that Davius had been part of Operation Spartan Shield, which is designed to deter aggression and stabilize the Middle East.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said in a post on X, “The NYPD mourns the loss of Police Officer Sorffly Davius, who passed away yesterday as a result of a medical episode while deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Epic Fury.”

The police department stated that he had been a police officer since 2014 and was assigned to the 79th Precinct, which serves the northern part of Brooklyn.

“Today, and always, we keep his family in our thoughts and prayers. May we never forget Officer Davius’ sacrifice and may his memory be a blessing,” the NYPD stated.

Davius is believed to have been the eighth member of the military to have died in the Middle East since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28.

Six of those killed were victims of an Iranian drone that hit the port of Shuaiba, Kuwait, on March 1.

They have been identified as Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. First Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. First Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa; Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California.

U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute to them on March 7 when their remains were returned to the United States for a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

“They’re great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way,” Trump said on March 7.

The U.S. Central Command stated on March 8 that a seventh servicemember died on March 7 after being seriously wounded during an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1.

The identity of that servicemember has not yet been released.

Trump launched Operation Epic Fury, in partnership with Israel, after negotiations with the Iranian regime failed to lead to Tehran agreeing to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

The War Department stated that in the operation, “U.S. and partner forces are striking targets to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that pose an imminent threat.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that “the mission of Operation Epic Fury is laser-focused: Destroy Iranian offensive missiles, destroy Iranian missile production, destroy their navy and other security infrastructure—and they will never have nuclear weapons.”

Iran has responded to attacks by the United States and Israel by firing missiles and drones at a number of military and civilian targets in Gulf countries that are allies of the United States, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

On March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen as the new Iranian leader, replacing his 86-year-old father, who was killed in U.S.–Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.