By Micah Jonah, March 4, 2026
The United States military has officially identified four American soldiers among the first casualties recorded in the ongoing war involving Iran, as Washington warns that more losses may follow in the intensifying conflict.
According to the Pentagon, the four U.S. Army Reserve members were killed on Sunday when a drone struck a U.S. military facility at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait. The attack marks a significant escalation in hostilities linked to the widening Middle East crisis.
The soldiers were attached to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, a unit responsible for global logistics and supply operations within the Army Reserve.
The fallen service members were identified as:
Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
Sergeant First Class. Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
Sergeant First Class. Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa
In a statement, Major General Todd Erskine of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command expressed deep sympathy to the families and colleagues of the deceased soldiers, praising their service and sacrifice.
President Trump and other senior officials have cautioned that further American casualties are likely as Iran continues retaliatory strikes following US and Israeli military operations.
The US Central Command disclosed that Iran has launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones across the Middle East since hostilities intensified.
Lawmakers were briefed behind closed doors by top national security officials, including Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General, Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Following the briefing, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said officials acknowledged the possibility of additional American deaths due to persistent drone threats.
Sources familiar with the incident said the Kuwaiti facility was protected by concrete blast walls but lacked a reinforced roof. It remains unclear whether active air defence systems were in place at the time of the drone strike.
