President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended a solemn dignified transfer Saturday at Dover Air Force Base to honor six U.S. soldiers killed in a drone attack during the opening days of the war with Iran.
The ceremony marked the return of the fallen service members to U.S. soil after they were killed March 1 when an Iranian drone struck a command center in Port Shuaiba while they were supporting Operation Epic Fury. The dignified transfer — the process of returning the remains of service members killed in action — is one of the most sacred responsibilities of the commander in chief.
During the ceremony, Trump stood silently and saluted as each flag-draped transfer case was carried from the military aircraft and placed into waiting vehicles that transported the remains to the mortuary facility at Dover, where they will be formally identified and prepared for burial. The families of each of the soldiers were present and observed the ceremony, which lasted roughly 30 minutes.
The six soldiers were members of the U.S. Army Reserve assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command. The unit provides critical logistical support for military operations, including food, fuel, water, ammunition, and transportation of equipment and supplies.
The fallen troops were identified as Major Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Captain Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Florida; Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sergeant Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California.
Trump called the soldiers heroes earlier in the day while speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before traveling to Delaware. “They’re great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way,” he said.
“They’re coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home,” the president said, describing the deaths as “a very sad situation” while pledging to keep American war casualties “to a minimum.”
Vice President JD Vance and his wife also attended the ceremony, along with several top administration officials including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Governors and members of Congress from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Florida were also present to honor the fallen soldiers.
Secretary Hegseth said earlier that the nation would honor the troops’ sacrifice and the mission they carried out.
“These soldiers engaged in the most noble mission: protecting their fellow Americans and keeping our homeland secure,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, an Army combat veteran who paid tribute to the soldiers earlier this week.
The soldiers were among the first American casualties of the war that erupted after U.S. and Israeli forces launched a military campaign against Iran. Officials said the service members were supporting operations in the region when the unmanned aircraft struck their position.
For Trump, the ceremony marked another return to Dover to honor fallen troops. During his first term, he attended multiple dignified transfers, once describing the ritual and writing letters to the families of servicemen killed as “the hardest thing I have to do” as president.
Family members of the fallen described the soldiers as devoted service members and loved ones who took pride in serving their country.
Sergeant Amor’s husband said she had been scheduled to return home to their two children just days after the attack. Coady’s father described his son as a hardworking young soldier who “loved being a soldier,” while relatives of O’Brien and Marzan remembered them as dedicated family men and respected leaders.
As the transfer cases were carried from the aircraft one by one, Trump saluted each soldier, paying tribute to the six Americans whose service ended on the battlefield.
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