A mom days from going home and a dad who ‘made you feel important’: 6 US troops killed in war with Iran identified

CNN

By Haley Britzky, Alisha Ebrahimji, Emma Tucker, Hanna Park, Taylor Romine, CNN

(CNN) — A soldier who “made you feel important,” a mother just days from returning home, and a son known to be the life of the party were among the first American troops to lose their lives in the line of duty in the war with Iran.

The Pentagon has now identified all six US service members killed Sunday in an Iranian strike on a makeshift operation center in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port.

All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve sustainment unit out of Iowa, and were serving at what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as a “tactical operation center that was fortified,” when a projectile made it through air defenses in an attack that came without warning.

A source familiar with the situation described the center as a triple wide trailer, surrounded by concrete barriers typically used to protect military structures overseas from things like car bombs and improvised explosive devices – but there was nothing overhead that could shield the building from drones or missiles.

The attack happened on just the second day of US and Israeli military operations against Iran.

“You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts,” Joey Amor, husband of one of the slain soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, told The Associated Press.

The service members varied in careers, but all dedicated themselves to public service, thousands of miles away from their families, despite the unmistakable risks.

Sgt. Declan Coady

Declan Coady loved his job in the Army Reserve, even when he worked long days around the clock while overseas, his father, Andrew Coady, told the AP.

“He was very good at what he did,” his father said. His 20-year-old son was supposed to come home in May but was considering extending his time for another nine months.

Coady, of Des Moines, Iowa, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist. Among the youngest in his class, Coady stood out to his instructors, according to his father.

Keira Coady, his sister, said he loved video games and anime, and was a gym enthusiast, a fencer and an Eagle Scout.

He “was a man of few words more often than not, but if you ever had the chance to talk to him about something he was passionate about, you were lucky,” she wrote.

While deployed in Kuwait, Coady was continuing his studies online in information systems, cybersecurity and computer science at Drake University, school officials told CNN, and had set his sights on becoming a commissioned officer, according to the AP. Drake officials described him as “well-loved and highly dedicated.”

Coady often spoke about his safety in Kuwait, his sister said, so when they didn’t hear from him Sunday, “We call knew something was wrong.”

The doorbell rang, “and the rest of that night will forever be one of the worst nights of our lives,” Keira wrote.

“I can’t quite comprehend it,” she wrote, “I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him.”

Coady was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He told his father last week he’d been recommended for the promotion, the AP reported. Coady’s military awards include the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds honored Coady for his service, saying in a statement he “heroically answered his nation’s call to duty and gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

A GoFundMe page has been organized for Coady’s family to assist with “funeral and memorial expenses, travel costs, and other unexpected expenses as they navigate this heartbreaking time.”

Capt. Cody Khork

Khork, 35, was “the life of the party,” three of his family members said.

He won awards for his dedication and service to the US Army, and behind his sense of duty was a man “known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him,” his parents and stepmother wrote in a statement Tuesday.

Khork’s life was largely defined by three things, according to his parents: devotion, character, and service.

Khork, from Lakeland, Florida, enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist. He commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014, and deployed to Saudi Arabia; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and Poland.

He was a “proud alumnus” of Florida Southern College, where he graduated in 2014, according to the school. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was known in the school community for his “leadership, character, and commitment to serving others,” the university said in a statement.

“Florida Southern honors Captain Khork’s life, service, and sacrifice,” the statement said.

Khork loved history and had a degree in political science, which showed “his sharp mind and his sincere appreciation for the principles and sacrifices that have shaped our nation,” his family said.

His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Joint Service Achievement Medal.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Khork’s mother and family to help with “travel expenses above what the military is covering to receive Cody’s body, as well as travel expenses for out of state family to travel here to be with the immediate family,” the fundraiser says.

Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor

The last time Joey Amor spoke with his wife, the couple talked about her working long shifts and how she tripped and fell the night before. Their last conversation was just two hours before she died, he told the AP.

Nicole Amor, a 39-year-old mother to a high school senior and a fourth-grader, was just days away from returning home, Joey Amor said.

“She was almost home,” he told the news outlet.

She was an avid gardener and enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her kids, the AP reported.

Nicole Amor, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, enlisted as an automated logistics specialist in the National Guard in 2005. She transferred to the Army Reserve a year later and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.

Also on that deployment was now-retired US Army Col. Josef Sujet, who told CNN he was the chief of staff of Amor’s reserve unit – the 103rd Sustainment Command – at the time.

He saw Amor almost daily at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, he said, describing her as a “very kind” person who would often smile when he arrived for a morning update.

A week before the attack, Amor had been moved off base to a shipping container-style building, her husband told AP.

“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places,” he said.

Amor’s decorations included the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state was mourning the loss of Amor.

“She answered the call to serve and gave her life in service to our state and nation,” Walz wrote on X. “Minnesotans are wrapping our arms around her loved ones.”

Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens

Regardless of what you may have needed, Tietjens “was the kind of guy that was always around to help you,” Army Staff Sgt. Jonn Coleman, a fellow Nebraska soldier, told CNN affiliate KETV.

“He made you feel important,” Coleman said. “And that’s hard to find sometimes in the military.”

Coleman credits Tietjens’ mentorship as the reason he was able to advance his military career: “He took me under his wing and got me to where I needed to be.”

Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. He had deployed to Kuwait twice before, in 2009 and 2019. His awards and decorations also include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal.

Tietjens was on the same 2019 deployment as Amor, according to Sujet, the now-retired Army colonel, who described him as always professional and “very technically competent.”

In Bellevue, Tietjens, his wife and son were prominent members of a martial arts studio, where he earned a black belt in Taekwondo and was an instructor, according to a tribute the studio posted on social media about him.

“He did not simply wear a Black Belt, he lived it,” Martial Arts International said in the post, praising Tietjens as “a devoted husband and father.”

A college fund has been established for Tietjens’ son, the studio said.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen called for prayers for Tietjens’ family and praised the fallen soldier’s service to the country.

“Noah stepped up to serve and defend the American people from foreign enemies around the world — a sacrifice we must never forget,” the governor wrote on X.

US Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said his “heart and prayers are with the Tietjens family as they mourn the loss of their heroic son.”

Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien

O’Brien was “the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know,” his aunt Mary Melchert said in a tribute on Facebook.

O’Brien, a computer engineering graduate from Iowa State University, was in the reserves for 17 years and leaves behind a wife and three kids, his aunt said.

“War is real … loss is real … He is so missed already. Love you forever, Jeff,” his aunt wrote.

The 45-year-old commissioned in the Army Reserve as a Signal Corps Officer in 2012. He received several awards and decorations, including the Army Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Superior Unit Award, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

He was killed while serving in support of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, which oversees the resupply and sustainment of troops across the Middle East, according to the Pentagon.

O’Brien was “straightforward” and unafraid to speak his mind as a captain while deployed to Kuwait in 2019, Sujet said.

“He would tell me and give me his honest opinion on what I needed to know,” he said. “He was very frank and he was technically confident, very professional.”

Gov. Reynolds expressed her condolences, writing in a statement: “Our hearts are broken by the deaths of Major Jeffrey O’Brien and Sergeant Declan Coady, two brave Iowa soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure freedom and peace.”

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan

Marzan was described by his sister as “a strong leader who lived by example,” referring to him as a loving husband, father, brother, uncle and friend.

“My baby brother, you are loved, and I will hold onto all our memories and cherish them always in my heart,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote in a Facebook post.

Marzan, 54, was from Sacramento, California, and was also serving in support of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command.

Final positive identification by a medical examiner is still pending, the Pentagon said, though Marzan was present at the scene of the drone strike and is believed to have been killed in the attack.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement praising Marzan’s service and offering condolences to his wife and family.

“California mourns the loss of Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan, a courageous Californian whose service to our nation was marked by honor and distinction,” Newsom wrote.

Marzan was a “pretty down to earth guy” but still “blunt and honest about what his thoughts were,” said Sujet, the retired Army colonel.

Sujet, who served in the military for 33 years, said it’s “not common” that four service members – Marzan, O’Brien, Amor and Tietjens – would return years later to the same unit they served in together in 2019.

“It goes to show the camaraderie in the unit that we had, that these soldiers felt so comfortable with each other that they would actually go back six years later and they came in the same unit,” Sujet said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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CNN’s Karina Tsui, Sara Smart, Taylor Galgano and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.