Many of the six US troops killed in the war with Iran served together years earlier in Kuwait

CNN

By 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 group of six service members killed after an Iranian strike on a makeshift operation center in Kuwait’s Shuaiba port Sunday, the Pentagon said.

Four of them had developed a kinship as they previously served in the same unit during 2019 in Kuwait, retired US Army Col. Josef Sujet, then chief of staff of the 103rd Sustainment Command, told CNN.

“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.

The attack came without warning on the second day of US and Israeli military operations against Iran. The slain soldiers 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.

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 service members — all assigned the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit out of Iowa — varied in careers, but all dedicated themselves to public service, thousands of miles away from their families, despite the unmistakable risks.

Sgt. Declan Coady

Even as thousands of miles away kept him away from his family in Iowa, Declan Coady stayed in touch with them through messages hours before the attack, his sister Keira Coady wrote in a statement to CNN.

“I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him,” she wrote, adding the loss of her brother was hard to accept.

The 20-year-old of Des Moines, Iowa, was a gym enthusiast, a fencer and an Eagle Scout who loved video games and anime, Keira Coady said about her brother.

And he also loved his job in the Army Reserve, even when he worked long days around the clock while overseas, his father, Andrew Coady, told the Associated Press.

Declan Coady 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.

“He was very good at what he did,” his father said. While he was supposed to come home in May, he was considering extending his time for another nine months.

The soldier had received several military awards, including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He told his father last week he’d been recommended for the promotion, the AP reported.

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,” Keira Coady 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 had given his family updates about his safety while in Kuwait and when they suddenly stopped, his sister said the family tried to stay positive but knew something was wrong.

Just as the family got ready for bed Sunday evening, the doorbell rang, “and the rest of that night will forever be one of the worst nights of our lives,” Keira Coady wrote.

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

Cody 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.

He was from Lakeland, Florida, and enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist. He attended Florida Southern College, where 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.

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.

After graduating college in 2014, Khork commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve, and was later deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Poland.

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.

Sujet, the retired US Army colonel, saw Amor almost daily at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. She was a “very kind” person who would often smile when he arrived for a morning update, he said.

A week before the attack, Amor’s husband said things 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.

Because she loved gardening and found “peace and joy” in it, a GoFundMe has been organized to raise funds to build a greenhouse in her honor and for a nonprofit that helped her build gardens at home.

The greenhouse will be “a living space that reflects the love, warmth, and life she brought into this world,” the fund says.

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

Those who were close with Noah Tietjens knew it was rare to see him with a smile but looks are deceiving, some of his friends told CNN.

The 42-year-old, who would have celebrated a birthday Thursday, was “one of those people who’s so easy to get along with,” said Faith and Julius Melegrito, the owners of the Bellevue, Nebraska, studio where Tietjens spent his free time. He had earned a double black belt in Taekwondo and Filipino martial arts.

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 enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. He was in his third deployment to Kuwait and had been there in 2019 with Amor, according to Sujet, the retired Army colonel, who described him as always professional and “very technically competent.”

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

In Bellevue, martial arts was a big part of his family’s life. He was an instructor and his wife and son also practiced.

“The whole family basically, is a black belt,” Melegrito said.

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.

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

Jeffrey O’Brien found ways to take care of his family even while serving thousands of miles away – a “true hero in every sense of the word,” his family said in a statement to CNN affiliate KCCI.

“He was not only a role model to our kids, but also a goofy and silly dad, always looking for ways to make the kids laugh,” his family said, remembering him as a caring husband, incredible friend, dedicated worker, and a man of deep faith.

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

The 45-year-old was a husband and father to three children with a long military career, his aunt said.

“We are in shock, grieving, and grappling with the reality that we have lost the most important man in our lives, and we are trying to come to terms with how we move forward,” the family’s statement reads.

O’Brien was a computer engineering graduate of Iowa State University and had served in the reserves for nearly two decades, Melchert said.

He commissioned in the Army Reserve as a signal corps officer in 2012. Throughout his military service, 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 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.”

O’Brien was “incredibly proud to serve our country, and we are committed to honoring his life and legacy,” his family said.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan

Robert Marzan was described by his sister, Elizabeth Marzan, as “a strong leader who lived by example.”

Outside of being a soldier, his sister said the 54-year-old was 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,” Marzan wrote in a Facebook post.

“He would do anything for you, and family and friends meant the most to him,” Mark Madsen, a friend of Marzan’s since childhood, told CNN affiliate KCRA. “The fact that we were able to sustain that friendship … all the way into our 50s is a testament to that.”

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

He was present at the scene of the drone strike and is believed to have been killed in the attack. The Pentagon has said final positive identification by a medical examiner is still pending.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Marzan’s service and offered 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 in a statement.

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

This story has been updated with additional details.

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