Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan were part of the 103rd Sustainment Command out of Des Moines, Iowa, with four other soldiers who were killed and previously identified.
The U.S. military has identified two more soldiers believed killed in a drone attack in Kuwait, bringing to six the number of American troops who have died during the U.S. campaign with Israel against Iran.
U.S. Army Reserve Command on Wednesday named Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa, as among those killed Sunday at Port Shuaibu, the main industrial port in Kuwait.
In a separate statement, the Pentagon said it believes Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif., also died in the attack. His identification has yet to be confirmed by a medical examiner.
The Army Reserve provided no information on Marzan, saying Wednesday in an unsigned email it would wait until he is officially identified.
The Pentagon on Tuesday identified four other soldiers killed in the attack:
· Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.
· Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb. • Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.
· Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa The six soldiers are the only U.S. service members reported killed in action so far during the conflict with Iran.
All served with the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), based in Des Moines, Iowa. The unit provides food, fuel, water and ammunition to deployed forces and oversees transportation of equipment and supplies. The command includes 79 subordinate units and more than 7,000 reservists across Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Louisiana.
O’Brien commissioned as a Signal Corps officer in the Army Reserve in 2012 and previously deployed to Kuwait in 2019. Iowa Gov.
Kim Reynolds in a statement Wednesday to the Associated Press said Iowans’ “hearts are broken” by the deaths of O’Brien and Coady, “two brave Iowa soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure freedom and peace.”
California officials ordered flags at the state capitol lowered to half-staff in honor of Marzan. A statement Wednesday from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and acting Gov. Eleni Kounalakis called Marzan “a courageous Californian whose service to our nation was marked by honor and distinction.”
“We offer our deepest condolences to his wife and family during this time of profound sorrow,” the statement said. “The sacrifices made by military families are immeasurable, and California stands in solidarity with them, united in grief and gratitude.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news briefing Tuesday that the drone penetrated air defenses at an Army installation.
“In that particular case, it happened to hit a tactical operations center that was fortified, but these are powerful weapons,” he said. “Moments like that — as we remember them and we take care of them and take care of their families — only stiffen our resolve to ensure that we do this properly,” he said.
- Security