President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a dignified transfer ceremony Saturday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for six U.S. service members killed in a March 1 Iranian drone attack in Kuwait.
The fallen troops were killed in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, while supporting Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli military campaign targeting Iranian military assets and leadership. The dignified transfer — one of the most solemn responsibilities of a commander in chief — marked the return of their remains to American soil.
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance also attended the ceremony, standing alongside the president as U.S. Army carry teams transferred the flag-draped cases from a military aircraft to waiting vehicles. Each of the service members’ families was present.
All six were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa. The unit provides critical logistical support, including food, fuel, water, ammunition, and transportation of equipment and supplies.
The Department of War identified five of the fallen as Maj. Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, is also believed to have been killed in the attack.
BREAKING: President Trump, wearing his signature USA hat, salutes alongside VP JD Vance during the solemn dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for our fallen heroes. pic.twitter.com/FihrrNs7Ek
— Arkadalo ® (@Arkadalo) March 7, 2026
Transfer cases were used to move the remains to Dover, where the fallen will be formally identified and prepared for burial. After identification, each service member will be placed in a casket and transported to their final resting place.
Speaking earlier at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before traveling to Delaware, Trump described the six as heroes “coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.” He called the attack “a very sad situation” and pledged to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also attended the ceremony. In a statement posted Friday, he wrote of “an unbreakable spirit to honor their memory and the resolve they embodied.”
Officials said the service members were supporting regional operations when an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle struck their position. The attack came amid heightened hostilities between the United States and Iran following the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Capt. Cody Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist before commissioning as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantánamo Bay in 2021 and Poland in 2024. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 10 Year Device and “M” Device.
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor joined the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist and transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019 and received multiple commendations, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device.
Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and completed deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star.
Sgt. Declan Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
Maj. Jeffery O’Brien served nearly 15 years in the Army Reserve. Commissioned in 2012 as a Signal Corps officer, he was promoted to major in 2024 and previously deployed to Kuwait in 2019. In civilian life, he worked in cybersecurity and defensive cyber operations.
The dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, long the nation’s primary receiving site for fallen service members, included military honors and salutes as each transfer case was carried with precision and ceremony.
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