Newsweek30%
The Faces of U.S. Service Members Killed in Iran War 4%
By Giulia Carbonaro7%
7/21/2026, 5:40:46 PM
Keywords: Soldiers, Iran War, Army, Trump Administration, Donald Trump, Service Members, Death, Killed
BS Summary: This article contains 19 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Anecdotal, and Unattributed Quote, with Appeal to Emotion as the most egregious example at 16.3% saturation with 522 hits. Analysis detected 2,006 faulty-reasoning hits from 3,204 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 18.2% and a BS Rank of 4% (18,752 of 19,442 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 96.50% of the article peer group.
A total of 17 American service members have been killed since the start of the Iran war in late February, according to figures confirmed by the U.S. military, with the latest three deaths occurring over the space of 48 hours between July 17 and July 19.
1Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were supporting a U.S. mission against the Islamic State group in Jordan called “Operation Inherent Resolve” when they were killed during an enemy attack on July 17, 2026, at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, officials said.
A third soldier based in Jordan has been listed as missing in action since the Iranian attack on Friday; while remains have since been found, the service member has yet to be identified.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed the death of Sgt.
Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, “during a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System” on July 19 at the Erbil Air Base in Iraq.
On Monday, President Donald Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths of the U.S. soldiers, saying Tehran will pay for them “many times over.”
It is yet another hint that the conflict, now in its 144th day, might still be far from being over - and the U.S. death toll could continue rising.
Below, all the U.S. soldiers who have lost their lives in the Iran war since February 28, when the U.S. launched “Operation Epic Fury.”
Sgt.
Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30
Swinton, a resident of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is the latest confirmed U.S. service member to die during service since the start of the Iran war.
He was “decommissioning ammunition and an accident happened,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.
The incident remains under investigation.
While the U.S. military said on Tuesday that Swinton died on Sunday, July 19, an earlier statement by CENTCOM said a service member involved in the incident had died a day earlier, on Saturday, July 18.
Another service member was wounded in the incident and was being treated for a “minor injury.”
Sgt.
Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“His service will not be forgotten, and his sacrifice is not in vain,” U.S.
Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) commanding general Lt.
Gen.
John L.
Rafferty said in a statement.
“We will support Sgt.
Swinton’s family and his unit during this difficult period.
His loss will inspire his fellow Soldiers to continue the mission.”
He was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and will receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, the USASMDC said.
He left behind a wife and a young daughter.
“I didn’t think this would be the last time I ever saw you.
I have no words,” his widow wrote on Facebook.
“I was informed this morning that my husband, Michael, was killed while serving in Iraq.
I’m navigating how to process this so please bear with me.”
1Lt.
Tyler James Feehan, 25
Feehan died on July 18 from wounds sustained in the attack at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, the previous day.
He was a Hawaii resident who enlisted in the U.S.
Army in 2019 as a 12B Combat Engineer with the Hawaii Army National Guard.
He later commissioned from Brigham Young University as an active-duty Air Defense Artillery Officer in 2024.
He was then assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, as a platoon leader at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Over his time in the army, he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Combat Action Badge.
He will posthumously receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge, and a promotion to captain.
At the time of his death, Feehan was enrolled as an MBA student of Southern Utah University, as confirmed by the college.
The university said he was just weeks away from completing his degree, which will now be awarded posthumously.
Pvt.
Isabella Gonzales, 19
Gonzales, from North Texas, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command, in Ansbach, Germany, according to the Pentagon.
A group of her friends spoke to the media about how surreal her death overseas feels only one year after they all graduated from Hebron High School.
That is when Gonzales - a daughter and a sister - left for boot camp, they said.
“I think she really did want to make people proud of who she was,” friend Zuleyka Acosta told CBS News.
“She wanted to be very disciplined, and she wanted people to view her as someone who was very brave.”
Lewisville ISD confirmed that she had graduated from Hebron High School in the spring of 2025, saying in a statement that her decision “to serve after graduation speaks volumes of her character.”
She is the youngest service member to be killed in the Iran war until now.
Cmdr.
Gabriel Edwards, 40
Edwards, a native of Oakland, Oregon, and commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, was identified by the Pentagon as the sailor who had gone missing after a helicopter’s emergency landing in the Arabian Sea on July 1.
He graduated in 2006 from Norfolk State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and then commissioned through the Naval ROTC.
With more than 2,000 flight hours on his back in the SH-60F, HH-60H, and MH-60S helicopter airframes, Edwards was a celebrated sailor, aviator, and airman, deeply appreciated within his “brothers and sisters in the naval aviation community,” according to a statement released by the Navy.
While the cause of his disappearance remains under investigation, it is not believed to have been linked to hostile action.
Edwards left behind his wife Rebecca and his two children.
In mourning his passing, Rear Adm.
Todd Cimicata, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 celebrated “Gabe’s legacy as a husband, father, friend and fearless leader” saying in a statement it “will never be forgotten.”
“We are thankful to each who carry a unique and indelible part of Gabe’s memory with us as we continue this important mission,” Cimicata added.
Maj.
John A.
Klinner, 33
Klinner, who was known as Alex rather than John, was an airman from Alabama.
He was among six service members killed on March 12 when his KC-135 refueling plane crashed in western Iraq.
The one in the Middle Eastern country was his fourth deployment.
He had completed pilot training in November 2018 and had been assigned to the 92nd Air Refueling Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington.
He had later completed advanced instrument training and instructor pilot upgrade training in 2022.
Most recently, Klinner had served as chief of squadron standardizations and evaluations as an evaluator pilot in the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham.
An alumnus of Auburn University in Alabama, Klinner was a husband and a father of three young children.
Talking to NPR, his sister-in-law Sarah Rose Harrill described him as “selfless, goofy, and generous.”
Capt.
Ariana Savino, 31
Air Force Capt.
Ariana Linse Savino, of Covington, Washington, was also killed in the same refueling plane crash in western Iraq as Klinner.
She commissioned in the U.S.
Air Force in September 2017, originally serving as a navigator on the E-8 JSTAR aircraft prior to flying the KC-135.
A member of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, she was aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker when the plane crashed following an unspecified incident with another U.S. plane.
In a statement reported by the Seattle Times, retired Air Force Lt.
Col.
Ernesto Nisperos said Savino, whom he had met in 2020, was “a phenomenal officer” and a “role model” known for her “ruthless commitment to making everyone around her better.”
She was a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a proud mom of two dogs who “were her whole world,” according to co-workers who have set up a fundraiser for her family following her passing.
Tech.
Sgt.
Ashley Pruitt, 34
Pruitt, a Kentuckian from Bardstown, was also killed in the refueling plane crash on March 12.
She was the second service member from Kentucky to die since the start of the Iran war after Sgt.
Benjamin N.
Pennington, 26, of Glendale.
She belonged to the 6th Air Refueling Wing based at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
According to her obituary, her interest in the army started early in life.
She was an active member of the Nelson County High School JROTC program throughout her high school years, and she later continued at the University of Louisville’s ROTC program before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 2017.
She was “widely regarded as fierce, a true force of nature, and radiant—someone who could light up any room she entered,” her obituary says, and she was “a devoted wife and a deeply loving mother.”
Capt.
Seth Koval, 38
Koval, a seasoned combat pilot from Stoutsville, Ohio, was among the six who died on March 12.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, he was the second of six children and a husband to his wife Heather, with whom he had one son in 2023, according to his obituary.
He had enlisted in the Indiana Air National Guard in 2006 and “soon discovered a calling beyond himself,” his obituary reads.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Professional Flight Technology from Purdue University in 2011 while serving in the Air Force.
He later transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing, was commissioned, and earned his pilot wings in 2020, “fulfilling a lifelong dream.”
Three members of the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing died in the incident on March 12.
Capt.
Curtis Angst, 30
Angst, an experienced combat-proven aviator from Wilmington, Ohio, was also a member of Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing, just like Koval.
He was killed on March 12 during the refueling plane crash in Iraq.
In a statement issued by his family after his death, mother-in-law Mindy McCarty-Stewart said Angst died “doing what he loved most—flying and serving alongside the men and women he cared so deeply about.”
A graduate of Wilmington High School, class of 2014 and of the University of Cincinnati, where he had obtained a degree in aerospace engineering, Angst had served in the military for a decade already by the time he was involved in the deadly accident.
He had started his military career while in college by serving as a Vehicle Maintenance Technician at the 123rd Air Control Squadron in Blue Ash, according to his obituary.
He finished Undergraduate Pilot training in 2022 at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi and rose to the rank of Captain while flying the KC135 at the 121st Air Refueling Wing.
“Those who knew Curtis remember his steady kindness and the joy he carried with him everywhere he went.
His constant smile and instantly recognizable laugh made people feel welcome, valued, and part of something bigger,” his family said.
He left behind his wife, Mary, his parents, and his sister.
Tech.
Sgt.
Tyler Simmons, 28
Together with Koval and Angst, Simmons was one of the three Ohio Air National Guard members to lose his life in the March 12 refueling plane crash.
He was responsible for transferring fuel from the tanker to receiver aircraft during missions, so that pilots could go on longer missions.
The 28-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, had graduated from Eastmoor High School in 2015 and enlisted in the Air Force two years later, in 2017.
His funeral on April 10 was attended by hundreds of people, including Ohio Gov.
Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine, and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther.
Sgt.
Benjamin N.
Pennington, 26
Pennington was the seventh U.S. soldier to have died in combat since the start of the Iran war.
Originally from Glendale, Kentucky, he was assigned to the U.S.
Army Space and Missile Defense Command, serving in the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade in Fort Carson, Colorado.
According to his obituary, Pennington had long been fascinated with army life.
“As a young kid, Ben grew up playing Army outside with neighbors and friends.
He loved watching the Military Channel and reading books about the military.
His childhood room was decorated with Army prints and had military planes hanging from the ceiling,” his obituary reads.
“As a teenager, Ben enjoyed running on Central Hardin’s cross country and track and field teams, but dedicated the majority of his time to the Boy Scouts, where he would meet all his best friends and eventually earn the honor of becoming an Eagle Scout.”
He had joined the army shortly after graduating in 2017 from Central Hardin High School.
He entered the service as a unit supply specialist and was assigned to the Space and Missile Command on June 10, 2025, according to the U.S.
Army.
At the age of 26, he died of his wounds after being injured in an Iranian attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 1, one day after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran as part of “Operation Epic Fury.”
He will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Pentagon said.
Maj.
Jeffrey R.
O’Brien, 45
O’Brien, a 45-year-old resident of Waukee, Iowa, originally from Indianola, Iowa, was among six Army Reserve soldiers killed in an Iranian strike on a tactical operation center in Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba on March 1.
All the soldiers at the Kuwait facility, including O’Brien and the others listed below, were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines.
O’Brien was commissioned as a Signal Corps Officer in 2012 in the Army Reserve, according to a news release by the U.S.
Army Reserve, and deployed to Kuwait in 2019.
He had received multiple awards and decorations and was an employee at ProCircular in Coralville.
He left behind a wife and three children.
Iowa Rep.
Ashley Hinson, sharing a tribute to O’Brien, said “he loved listening to 80s and 90s rock music, was a dedicated Cubs fan, and earned a degree in computer science at ISU.”
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M.
Marzan, 54
Marzan, of Spotsylvania, Virginia, also died on March 1 in Kuwait while supporting “Operation Epic Fury.”
He had enlisted in the active Army in 1990 in Sacramento, California, then transferred to the Army Reserve in 1994, becoming a Data Operations Warrant Officer in 2011, according to the U.S.
Army Reserve.
He deployed to Croatia and Bosnia in 1996 and Egypt and Kuwait from 2019-2020.
During his career spanning more than 30 years, he had received many awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.
A Sacramento native, Marzan was the first Californian soldier to die in combat since the start of the Iran war.
He left behind his wife Tina and a 30-year-old daughter, Felicia.
Master Sergeant Nicole M.
Amor
Amor was from White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
A mother and a wife, as well as a sergeant first class in the U.S.
Army Reserve, she was among the six killed on March 1 in Kuwait.
She had enlisted in the National Guard as a 92A (Automated Logistics Specialist) in 2005 and transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006.
She was later deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019, and was most recently assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa.
Her career had also been marked by achievements and awards, having been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal, among many others.
She was posthumously promoted from sergeant first class to master sergeant.
She left behind her parents, her husband, Joey, her son, Owen, and daughter, Adeline.
According to her obituary, Amor “was a rare and special light in this world, and she will be missed more than words can ever explain.
She was an amazing soldier, but more than that she was an amazing wife, mother, and friend."
“Nicole had a way of being everyone’s mother and best friend at the same time.
She loved with all of her heart, and she always knew exactly when to throw that perfectly timed sarcastic remark your way.
That was her; strong, loving, and real,” the obituary reads.
Sgt.
Declan J.
Coady, 20
Iowa soldier Coady, a 20-year-old resident of Des Moines, had enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as a 25B (Army Information Technology Specialist).
At his death, he was a specialist, but he was posthumously promoted to sergeant.
A “well-loved and highly dedicated Drake University student studying information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science,” as his college described him, he was among the six killed on March 1 in Kuwait.
He had been serving in the U.S.
Army Reserves since 2023 as an Information Technologies Specialist.
His obituary describes him as a “beloved son, brother, and friend” who “spoke frequently to his family, and it was clear to all of them that he was fulfilled by the work that he was doing.”
No matter the time difference, Coady made time to connect with his parents and three siblings, according to the family.
He “will always be remembered as a brave, kind, and loyal young man” who was “always willing to lend a hand and encourage others to achieve their highest potential.”
Capt.
Cody A.
Khork, 35
Khork, a resident of Winter Haven, Florida, was also among the six U.S.
Army Reserve members killed in Kuwait on March 1.
He had enlisted as a 13P (Multiple Launch Rocket System/Fire Direction Specialist) in the National Guard in 2009 and commissioned as a Military Police Officer in the Army Reserve in 2014.
He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2021, and Poland in 2024, according to the U.S.
Army Reserve.
Among his many awards and decorations were the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
Those who served with him called him a “down-to-earth person” and a “funny guy” who “always knew how to lighten the mood and just befriend everybody,” as reported by Fox 35.
Sgt. 1st Class Noah L.
Tietjens, 42
Tietjens, a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska, also died on March 1 in Kuwait.
Raised in a military family, he enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a 91B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic) and had two deployments to Kuwait since then, in 2009 and 2019.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal With “M” Device.
He left behind a wife, Shelly, a teenage son, Dylan, and a twin brother, Nicholas.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Cristina Diciu.
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