Emotional tributes began to pour in after the identification of four US service members killed in adeadly Iranian drone strikein Kuwait, the first American deaths in the war with Iran.
While they all served as soldiers under the US Army Reserve, they played many roles, including a "heroic son" and a mother of two who was days away from returning home.
The Pentagon identified four of the six US service members killed Sunday during an attack on a makeshift operations center in Shuaiba port as Capt. Cody Khork, 35; Sgt. Declan Coady, 20; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42. Two other soldiers who were killed in the strike have not been publicly identified.
All four 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 quickly and without warning.
The attack happened on just the second day of US and Israeli military operations against Iran. For some of the soldiers' families, the loss is accompanied by shock, because they didn't initially consider their loved one's assignment to be especially dangerous.
"You don't go to Kuwait thinking something's going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts," Amor's husband Joey toldthe Associated Press.
President Donald Trump has warned there will likely be more service members killed, as the "big wave" of attacks against Iran isyet to come.
"They're great people," Trump said about the six killedin a phone interview with the Daily Mail. "And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous — it could happen again."
The soldiers were honored as "relentlessly, consistently, and fearlessly" serving the country, and making "the ultimate sacrifice," said Brig. Gen. Clint A. Barnes, deputy commanding general of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, a group based out of Fort Knox, Kentucky, composed of troops from units nationwide assigned to rotational support roles overseas.
The four service members varied in careers, but all dedicated themselves to public service, thousands of miles away from their families despite the unmistakable risks.
Here is what we know about the US service members.
Capt. Cody Khork
Khork, who was 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.
Behind his sense of duty was "a man whose life was defined by devotion, character, and service," his parents and stepmother said in a statement Tuesday.
"Cody was truly the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him," 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.
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor
Amor, from 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.
Amor, who was a mother to a high school senior and a fourth-grader, was just days away from returning home to her family, her husband, Joey Amor, told the AP.
"She was almost home," Joey Amor told the AP, and said he had spoken to her two hours before she died, but, "She just never responded in the morning."
A week before the attack, she 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.
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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 wroteon X. "Minnesotans are wrapping our arms around her loved ones."
Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens
Tietjens was from Bellevue, Nebraska, and 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.
"Sgt. Tietjens was the kind of guy that was always around to help you. No matter what you needed … he made you feel important. And that's hard to find sometimes in the military," Army Staff Sgt. Jonn Coleman, a fellow Nebraska soldier, toldCNN affiliate KETV.
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."
In Bellevue, Tietjens and 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 toa tributethe 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." The studio said a college fund has been established for Tietjens' son.
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 governorwrote on X.
Nebraska US Sen. Pete Rickettssaid in a statementhis "heart and prayers are with the Tietjens family as they mourn the loss of their heroic son."
Sgt. Declan Coady
Coady, from Des Moines, Iowa, was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He told his father just last week he'd been recommended for the promotion, the AP reported.
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, his father, Andrew Coady, told the AP.
"He was very good at what he did," he said.
While deployed in Kuwait, Coady was continuing his coursework online and had set his sights on becoming a commissioned officer, according to the AP. He was studying information systems, cybersecurity and computer science at Drake University, school officials told CNN, describing him as "well-loved and highly dedicated."
For his sister, Keira Coady, the loss is hard to accept. "I still don't fully think it's real," she told AP. "I just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back."
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."
Coady's military awards include the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon and Overseas Service Ribbon.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN's Taylor Galgano and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.
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