As parades make their way down city streets and burgers are flipped on thousands of grills across the nation, let’s take a moment to remember the lives of the nation’s most recently fallen heroes — the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty during Operation Epic Fury.
Since the beginning of the strikes launched against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, 13 service members have died in combat. On March 1, a drone struck members of the 103rd Sustainment Command stationed at Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait, killing six, according to a statement from the U.S. Army Reserve.
Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, Iowa, was commissioned into the Army Reserve as a Signal Corps officer in 2012 and had previously been stationed in Kuwait in 2019, according to the statement.
O’Brien was raised on a farm and became a computer engineer, using those skills to serve the nation as an information systems engineer. He had also been married to his wife, Roxane, for 16 years and loved spending time with his family and participating in their hobbies, according to his obituary in the Des Moines Register. (RELATED: 400 US Soldiers Wounded In Operation Epic Fury, Military Says)
Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida, enlisted as a Multiple Launch Rocket System/Fire Direction Specialist with the National Guard in 2009 and completed three deployments prior to Operation Epic Fury, the statement said. He was also commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014.
Khork’s life had been defined by his service, patriotism, leadership and love. He leaves behind his fiancée, parents, two brothers and other relatives, according to his obituary on Altogether.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Spotsylvania, Virginia, was a Bronze Star recipient who enlisted in 1990 before becoming a data operations warrant officer in 2011 after serving two deployments to multiple countries, the Army Reserves said.
The California-native and Filipino American was in the final two months of his deployment, with his wife, Tina, daughter and family already making plans to celebrate both his birthday and the end of his military service upon his return, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was posthumously promoted following years of service after enlisting in the National Guard as an automated logistics specialist in 2005 before transferring to the Army Reserve, where she was deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019, the statement said.
Amor was survived by her husband, Joey, as well as her son, daughter, parents and siblings. She was characterized by family and friends as loving, strong, and a mother and best friend to all, according to Mueller Memorial.
Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska, joined the Army Reserve in 2006, serving as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and completing two deployments in Kuwait, the statement said.
Although only a private funeral service was offered for Tietjens, members of his community came with flags and pinwheels to say goodbye and thank him for his sacrifice, WOWT reported.
Tietjens was described as a devoted husband and father who excelled at martial arts and lived the values required by each of his many roles, according to a GoFundMe established for his family.
Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa, was also posthumously promoted after enlisting in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist.
Coady was the youngest of the group, and he was an Eagle Scout who loved exploring the outdoors. He is survived by his parents and three siblings, who said he had done his best to stay connected during his deployment and felt fulfilled in his service to the country, according to Iles Funeral Homes.
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, who was stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and died March 8 from injuries sustained during an enemy attack, according to the Department of War.
Pennington knew from an early age that his calling was to be a soldier. He played army, read books about the military, decorated his bedroom with army prints and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout as well. Pennington is survived by his parents and older sister, according to Legacy.
Days later, a six-member crew aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq on March 12, according to a statement by U.S. Central Command. (RELATED: US Aircraft Crashes Amid Iran War And Prompts Rescue Efforts, CENTCOM Says)
Three of the deceased were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Maj. John “Alex” Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama, was serving as the chief of squadron standardizations and evaluations at the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at the time of the incident, having served in the Air Force since 2017, according to Military Times.
Klinner had done much to help serve his wife, Libby, and their three daughters, including a pair of infant twins, according to WBRC News.
“I could just feel him scanning the room and looking for what needed to be done or who might need something and just jumping up to fulfill a need before anyone ever realized they had it or could communicate it was a need,” his sister-in-law told WBRC.
Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington, served as the chief of Current Operations Pilot of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, earning her commission in 2017 before deploying in 2020 and 2026, Military Times reported.
Savino’s family said they found comfort in knowing that she died doing what she loved, as she dedicated her life to aviation and service, according to KOMO News.
“We take comfort in knowing that Ariana died doing the one thing she loved most — flying,” the family said. “Her smile would brighten every room she walked into, and her energy and laughter were nothing short of contagious.”
Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, was an assistant flight chief of operations and a KC-135 instructor boom operator in the squadron after joining the Air Force in 2017, according to Military Times.
Pruitt was a wife, mother, daughter and sister who found her purpose through service to her country and those she loved, according to Houghlin Funeral Homes.
Three members of the 121st Air Refueling Wing out of Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio, were also aboard the aircraft when it went down.
Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana, was a KC-135R Stratotanker instructor pilot who served multiple deployments after enlisting in the Air Force in 2006, according to Military Times.
Koval met his wife, Heather, on a childhood church mission trip. Their friendship evolved into romance, and the two later had a son, according to Oliver-Cheek Funeral Home.
Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio, was a KC-135R pilot who enlisted in the Ohio Air National Guard in 2015, beginning as a vehicle maintenance technician, Military Times reported.
Angst was devoted to his wife, Mary, and found joy in traveling, exploring the outdoors and music, according to Edgington Funeral Homes.
Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, was a KC-135R boom operator, and he became an in-flight refueling specialist in 2022 after joining the Air Force in 2017.
Simmons’ funeral procession from the church was escorted by a motorcycle club whose leader, Louis Hoy, had taken him in as a second son, according to ABC 6.
“I invited him to be a part of my family,” Hoy said. “Anybody who is in the military, there’s a brotherhood there that you can’t explain by being a fellow soldier.