Gov. Kim Reynolds urged Iowans to support U.S. military troops stationed in the Middle East and offered her condolences to the families of two soldiers from Iowa who were killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait on Sunday.
The Pentagon Wednesday released the last two names of the six U.S. soldiers who were killed, identifying Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Sgt. Declan , 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was among the soldiers who were killed, along with Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
All were assigned to the Des Moines-based 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.
“It is our responsibility to stand strong in support of each and every one of them. Losing four soldiers from Iowa in the course of three months is a sobering reminder that our freedom is not free,” Reynolds said during a press conference at the Iowa Capitol Thursday.
“It demands sacrifice and the kind of service that these heroes and their families have made on behalf of all of us, and it's why our support for the men and women who wear our nation's uniform is so important. We owe them not only our gratitude but our unwavering commitment to stand with them, to care for them, to care for their families and to honor their service to our state and to our country every single day,” she said.
The six members of the Army Reserve, who worked in logistics and kept troops supplied with food and equipment, died Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, one day after the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
Reynolds confirmed that U.S. soldiers injured in the same attack were safely transported to a U.S. military base in Germany for medical evaluation. She did not disclose whether any are from Iowa.
Declan and O’Brien are two of the four soldiers from Iowa who have been killed in the Middle East over the past three months.
On Dec. 13, Iowa National Guard Staff Sgts. Edgar Torres-Tovar, of Des Moines, and William Howard, of Marshalltown, were killed during a counterterrorism mission near Palmyra, Syria.
Reynolds traveled to the Middle East in January to visit Iowa soldiers and airmen deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve to recognize their service. When she visited, there were 1,800 Iowa National Guard soldiers and airmen deployed throughout the region. About half have now returned to the United States.
She said she is supportive of the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran, adding that it is necessary to help destroy Iran’s missile capabilities.
“I believe in the mission right now. I think it was the right thing to do,” Reynolds said. “You just look at what Iran has done over the last several years, and so I support what they're doing. And you know, hopefully we're in and out. I believe that is the goal of this administration. They've made it very clear.
“Anytime they (soldiers) sign up and step up and serve in this capacity, you know it's not just in good times. They know that potentially they could be placed in theater,” she said.
Reynolds said she will attend the dignified transfers of the soldiers when they arrive in the U.S. She ordered all flags in Iowa to fly at half-staff in honor of the fallen soldiers. The order took effect immediately and will remain in place until sunset on the day of their final interment.
Iowa Democrats offer condolences
Iowa Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner, of Iowa City, said she is grieving for the soldiers’ families and stressed the importance of supporting them and those stationed in the Middle East.
“They have sacrificed so much. I grieve for their families. Our entire caucus grieves for their families and I hope for the safe return of all their fellow servicemen in harm's way,” Weiner told reporters Thursday. “ It's incredibly important that we all support families of our soldiers that are who are typically overseas. It is a very difficult moment we've seen Iowa has already paid a disproportionately high price between what happened in Syria and what's already happened with the two soldiers lost in Kuwait.”
House Minority Leader Brian Meyer of Des Moines called the deaths terrible tragedies that should have never happened.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the families that were affected,” Meyer said. “We are very supportive of those soldiers that are in harm's way. But again, it goes to forever wars. What's the end game? What are we doing? And, you know, nobody can explain it to me. There's been different rationales, different explanations.”
