WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. military on Tuesday identified four of the first American soldiers killed in the war against Iran as the Trump administration warned the intensifying conflict would lead to more American casualties.
Among six U.S. military deaths so far, the four soldiers were members of an Iowa unit of the U.S. Army Reserve. They died on Sunday when a drone slammed into a U.S. military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The Pentagon said four ranged in age from 20 to 42 and served in the 103rd Sustainment Command from Des Moines, Iowa, part of the army’s global logistics and supply operation.
The military identified the four U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, as:
* Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida.
MARCH 3: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Army Reserve on March 3, 2026, pictured is Captain Cody Khork, 35 years old, of Lakeland, Florida, enlisted as a 13P (Multiple Launch Rocket System / Fire Direction Specialist) in the National Guard in 2009. He commissioned as a Military Police Officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He deployed to Saudia Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2021, and Poland in 2024. He was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Des Moines, Iowa. The Department of Defense announced the death of four United States Army Reserve soldiers on March 1, 2026 in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba, during Operation Epic Fury. (Photo by Handout/ U.S. Army Reserve via Getty Images)
* Sargeant 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska
MARCH 3: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Army Reserve on March 3, 2026, pictured is Sergeant 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42 years old, a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a 91B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic). He had two deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. He was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Des Moines, Iowa. The Department of Defense announced the death of four United States Army Reserve soldiers on March 1, 2026 in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba, during Operation Epic Fury. (Photo by Handout/ U.S. Army Reserve via Getty Images)
* Sargeant 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
MARCH 3: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Army Reserve on March 3, 2026, pictured is Sergeant 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39 years old, a resident of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, enlisted in the National Guard as a 92A (Automated Logistics Specialist) in 2005. She transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019. She was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Des Moines, Iowa. The Department of Defense announced the death of four United States Army Reserve soldiers on March 1, 2026 in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba, during Operation Epic Fury. (Photo by Handout/ U.S. Army Reserve via Getty Images)
* Sargeant Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa
MARCH 3: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Army Reserve on March 3, 2026, pictured is Sergeant Declan Coady (posthumously promoted from Specialist), 20 years old, a resident of Des Moines, Iowa, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as a 25B (Army Information Technology Specialist). He was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Des Moines, Iowa. The Department of Defense announced the death of four United States Army Reserve soldiers on March 1, 2026 in Kuwait at the Port of Shuaiba, during Operation Epic Fury. (Photo by Handout/ U.S. Army Reserve via Getty Images)
Major General Todd Erskine, who leads the 79th Theater Sustainment Command, in a statement extended “my deepest sympathy and my respect” to relatives and unit members of the four.
President Donald Trump and other senior officials have warned the Iran conflict will result in more U.S. military deaths as Tehran retaliates against U.S. and Israeli strikes.
The U.S. military’s Central Command said on Tuesday that Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones in its retaliatory attacks throughout the Middle East so far.
The risks to U.S. forces in the Middle East came up during a closed-door briefing to lawmakers on Tuesday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“They told us in that room that there are going to be more Americans that are gonna die ― that they are not … going to be able to stop these drones,” Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said.
The facility in Kuwait where the four deaths occurred was protected by concrete blast walls but did not have a fortified roof, two officials told Reuters.
It was unclear if there were air defenses in place but no alarm apparently sounded as the drone approached, one of the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman)
