By Melissa Gaffney. Updated March 3, 2026.
The Pentagon on Tuesday released the names of four U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed when an Iranian strike hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait. They were among six U.S. service members who died after the facility in Port Shuaiba was struck.
The Defense Department identified the four as:
– Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
– Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
– Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
– Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa
All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines. The Pentagon said the deaths occurred Sunday in an unmanned aircraft system attack and that the incident is under investigation.
Two additional U.S. service members were also killed; their names have been withheld pending notification of next of kin. U.S. Central Command initially reported three service members killed in Kuwait on Sunday and later said another had died of injuries. Centcom also said remains of two previously unaccounted-for service members were recovered from a facility hit during Iran’s initial attacks.
Army Reserve service records released with the announcement describe each soldier’s service. Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 and was commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014; he deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay in 2021 and Poland in 2024. Amor enlisted in the National Guard in 2005, transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019. Tietjens enlisted in the Reserve in 2006 and had deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. Coady enlisted in the Reserve in 2023 and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant.
Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of the U.S. Army Reserve, said in a news release: “We honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation. Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families, will never be forgotten.” Maj. Gen. Todd Erskine, commanding general of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command, called the soldiers “the heart of America” and pledged that “we will remember their names, their service, and their sacrifice.”
In a family statement, the Khork family remembered Cody as “truly the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him.” They said he was “deeply patriotic” and had “lived with purpose, loved deeply, and served honorably.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the service members were “the absolute best of America” and urged that the remainder of the operation be prosecuted “in a manner that honors them.” In a video message, President Trump offered condolences, warned there could be more American casualties and said combat operations “will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.”
The deaths come amid a wider U.S.-led campaign with Israel, launched early Saturday with strikes on sites in Iran. Iranian leaders were reported killed in the initial strikes, and Iran’s military has since launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and other U.S.-allied nations in the region. As of Tuesday morning, a U.S. official said the number of seriously wounded in the conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, had decreased from 18 to 10 as those service members progressed through medical treatment.