President Trump grieves with families during return of soldiers killed in war in the Middle East – Chicago Tribune

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — President Donald Trump joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base Saturday for the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers killed in the Middle East war.

Dignified transfer, a ritual of returning the remains of U.S. service members killed in combat, is considered one of the darkest tasks of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said that witnessing the transfer was “the hardest thing I have to do” as president.

“It’s a very sad day,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Florida later Saturday afternoon, saying he was “glad we paid our respects.” He said the deceased’s loved ones are “great people, great parents, wives, family” and said “the parents were so proud.”

Trump and Vice President JD Vance were present for the transfer, as were their spouses. Many senior administration officials were in attendance, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who wrote in a social media post Friday of “unwavering spirit to honor their memory and the determination they embodied”; Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence.

Also present at the solemn event were governors and senators from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Florida.

Those killed in action were Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Captain Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted to specialist.

Per protocol, Trump – dressed in a blue suit, red tie and white American hat – did not speak during the transfer. The president saluted as each flag-draped transfer case was carried from the military aircraft to waiting transfer vehicles, which would take them to a morgue to prepare them for their final resting place. The families remained largely silent as they observed the ritual, which lasted about half an hour.

The six Army Reserve members killed in a drone strike on a command center in Kuwait were all from the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transportation equipment and supplies. They died just a day after the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.

“These soldiers are committed to the noblest mission: to protect their fellow Americans and keep our homeland secure,” Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran, said earlier this week after the six soldiers were identified. “Our nation owes them an incredible debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. »

During the ritual, transfer crates draped in the American flag and containing the remains of fallen soldiers are carried from the military plane that transported them to a waiting vehicle to take them to the base morgue. There, the soldiers are prepared for their final resting place.

Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, said earlier this week that she was expected to return home to him and their two children in a few days.

“You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something is going to happen, and for her to be one of the first, it hurts,” Joey Amor said.

O’Brien had served in the Army Reserve for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn account, and his aunt said in a Facebook post that O’Brien “was the sweetest blonde, blue-eyed farm kid you ever knew. We miss him so much already.”

Marzan’s sister described him in a Facebook post as a “strong leader” and a loving husband, father and brother.

“My little brother, you are loved and I will hold all our memories and cherish them always in my heart,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote.

Coady was among the youngest in his class, trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his instructors, his father, Andrew Coady, told the Associated Press.

“He trained hard, he worked hard, his fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier,” Coady said. “He was also one of the kindest people you could ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.”

Khork’s family described him as “the life of the party”, known for his “infectious spirit” and “generous heart” and who wanted to serve in the military since childhood.

“This commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the heart of who he was,” according to a statement from his mother, Donna Burhans, his father, James Khork, and his stepmother, Stacey Khork.

Tietjens, from a military family, previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February 2010, he found his wife delighted in the gymnasium of a local church.

Tietjens’ cousin, Kaylyn Golike, asked for prayers, especially for Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, wife and parents, as they go through an “unimaginable loss.”

Trump most recently visited Dover in December to honor two members of the Iowa National Guard and a U.S. civilian interpreter killed in an ambush in the Syrian desert. He witnessed several dignified transfers during his first term, including for a Navy SEAL killed in a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a person dressed in an Afghan Army uniform opened fire.

Kim reported from Washington.