Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, a mother of two from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was killed in a drone strike in Kuwait just days before she was due to return home. The attack also killed five other U.S. service members.
Amor served with the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, a logistics unit responsible for supplying food, fuel, water and ammunition. She had deployed previously to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019 and transferred from the National Guard to the Army Reserve in 2006. Her decorations included the Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with the “M” Device.
Her husband, Joey Amor, described the loss as heartbreaking: “She was almost home. You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.” He said Nicole had been moved a week before the strike into a shipping container–style building with minimal defenses after leaders dispersed personnel because they feared an attack. Joey last spoke with her about two hours before she died; they had been exchanging messages about long shifts and a minor fall she’d had the night before, and she never responded later that morning.
Beyond her military service, Nicole loved gardening, making salsa with her teenage son, and rollerblading and biking with her fourth-grade daughter. Joey remembered her generosity and the light she brought to others’ lives.
The strike occurred amid rising tensions in the Middle East following U.S. and Israeli actions involving Iran. Among the others killed were Capt. Cody Khork of Florida, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens of Nebraska, and Sgt. Declan Coady of Iowa.
Joey has shared photos and memories of their life together on social media, including a post last November: “Even while you are on the other side of the world, you found a way to make my birthday special. I love you!” Nicole’s family and community now mourn a devoted soldier, wife and mother whose absence will be deeply felt.