A 30-year-old husband and father of two. A 25-year-old officer just weeks away from earning his MBA. A 19-year-old recent high school graduate. And a 28-year-old from Queens, New York, with a “radiant smile”.
The Pentagon this week identified three American service members who were killed, and a fourth believed to have been killed, in the Middle East over the past week amid an escalation in attacks between the United States and Iranian forces.
Their deaths bring the number of US troops killed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February to 18, and hundreds of troops have also been injured, including nearly 100 since 7 July alone. The Pentagon has said that 96% of the nearly 100 injured since early July have since returned to duty.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of the US service members at Dover airforce base in Delaware.
Here’s a look at the four service members who the Pentagon identified this week:
Michael Swinton, 30
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced the death of Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, who officials said was an active-duty soldier who was “supporting overseas operations in Iraq”.
The Pentagon said that Swinton was killed in action in northern Iraq over the weekend during the disposal of what the military described on Sunday as a “downed Iranian one-way attack drone” at Erbil airbase in Iraq. The incident, which officials described as a “controlled detonation”, is under investigation.
The Pentagon said that Swinton was assigned to D battery, 2nd battalion, 55th air defense artillery regiment, 108th air defense artillery brigade at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
His wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, described him in a message to the Guardian as “an amazing man”.
“He had an impact on anyone that crossed paths with him,” she said. “He was an amazing father, and amazing leader. He cared and loved hard for everyone in his life.”
Swinton leaves behind two children: a four-year-old daughter, and a six-year-old son, she said.
The military said that Swinton enlisted in the US army in 2017 as a 14H air defense early warning system operator, and that he reclassified as a 14E patriot fire control enhanced operator/maintainer.
The US army said that Swinton will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.
Swinton’s mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, told the Guardian that her son was the kind of person who could “light up any room”.
“He had a contagious laugh, an incredible sense of humor, and loved making people smile,” she said in a message. “He was a true jokester who believed life was meant to be lived to the fullest.”
She described him as “adventurous and fearless” and as someone who was “always ready for the next challenge”.
“He embraced life with courage, confidence, and a willingness to take risks,” she said. “But beneath that adventurous spirit was a man of unwavering loyalty and strength.”
Above all, she said, “Michael’s greatest love was his family,” adding that his wife, Mia, and two children, “were the center of his world”.
“Michael was the most patient and loving father I have ever known,” she said. “He cherished every moment with his children, making them feel safe, valued, and deeply loved. He carried that same gentle heart into being an uncle. His nieces and nephews adored him because he always made time for them, encouraged them, and made them laugh.”
To so many, she said that “Michael wasn’t just a hero because he wore the uniform – he was a hero because of the way he loved, protected, encouraged, and inspired everyone around him.”
“His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, the laughter he shared, the strength he gave others, and the unconditional love he poured into his family. He will forever be missed, forever honored, and forever our hero,” she added.
Tyler Feehan, 25
First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, was supporting overseas operations in Jordan and was killed in an Iranian attack at Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan last week.
The US Army said Feehan enlisted in the US army in 2019 as a 12B combat engineer with the Hawaii army national guard and later commissioned as an active-duty air defense artillery officer in 2024, and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd army air and missile defense command, as a platoon leader at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The US army said that Feehan will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.
Southern Utah University said in a statement that Feehan was both a SUU graduate and current student in the school’s MBA program. The university said that he was just weeks away from earning his MBA from the school. His degree will be awarded posthumously.
In a statement sent to the Guardian, Feehan’s parents, Shari and Stephen Feehan, said that their hearts “are shattered”.
“Our son, our ‘Tivo,’ was taken from us far too soon – alongside other American heroes lost or wounded in this same tragic attack,” they said. “In just 25 years, Tyler packed in more living than most people manage in a lifetime.”
“He chased adventure relentlessly, whether it meant reaching Everest Base Camp or walking the Camino de Santiago across France and into Spain,” they said. “As a leader, he never wavered in putting his soldiers first – mentoring them, sharing his love of finance, and pushing the value of education every chance he got.”
His parents said Feehan “believed deeply in the power of military service, especially what it builds in a person: discipline, leadership, character. Everyone who knew him loved him”.
“Behind him, he leaves a family in mourning – his parents, his fiancée who was to become his wife upon his return from deployment, four sets of grandparents, and a wide circle of aunts, uncles, and cousins who adored him,” they added. “Law school was next on his list, a goal he talked about with the same confidence he quoted from Legally Blonde: ‘What, like it’s hard?’.”
“Tyler, we are proud of you beyond words – devastated, yes, but prouder still,” they said, adding that “no parents could have asked for a better son, and carrying your legacy forward is now our purpose.”
They concluded their statement, saying that “we ask only this: that in remembering Tyler, people pause to see the good this country still holds, rather than what divides it” and said that they are are building a scholarship in their son’s name, “one meant to open doors to education for those who serve or hope to”.
Isabella Gonzales, 19
Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was also killed in the Iranian attack at Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan.
Gonzales was assigned to 1st battalion, 57th air defense artillery regiment, 52nd air defense artillery brigade, 10th army air missile defense command in Ansbach, Germany, the Pentagon said.
Gonzales graduated from Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, in 2025, and joined the US army after.
In a statement to the Guardian, the Lewisville independent school district said:“She gave her life in [army] service, and our district is heartbroken by her loss.”
Anthony Tapia, 21, told the Guardian that he and Gonzales met in Germany in the soldier barracks and began dating in February of this year, “when I asked her to be my girlfriend on a snowy night in Stuttgart”.
“She was one of the most incredible people I had ever met, funny, playful, charismatic, and so full of life,” Tapia said in a message. “She had a way of making everyone around her smile, and even in the most serious situations, she could somehow find a reason to laugh, make a joke, or put that beautiful smile on her face.”
Tapia said that while they were apart, they would “talk whenever we could” and that they had been looking forward to taking a trip together to Tapia’s hometown in Washington state.
“We talked about it so many times, saying how it was going to be one of the best trips of our lives,” he said. “My family was so excited to finally meet her, and I was so excited to show her the place where I grew up.”
“We had so many plans,” he continued. “We talked about marriage, our future, traveling together, growing older together, and building a life filled with love and laughter. I truly believed we had so much time ahead of us.”
Tapia said: “there are no words that can fully describe the pain of losing someone I loved so deeply.”
“She was so much more than my girlfriend,” he said. “She was my best friend, the person I wanted to marry, the person I imagined my entire future with, and someone who brought so much happiness into my life.”
“When I think of her, I don’t want to only remember the way we lost her,” he said. “I want to remember the girl who was always laughing. The girl who could make a joke during the most serious moments. The girl who was playful, funny, charismatic, and impossible not to love. I want to remember her beautiful smile, her laugh, her energy, and the way she could make an ordinary day feel special just by being herself.”
“I loved her more than she probably ever truly understood,” he said. “I would have given anything to see her one more time, hold her one more time, and tell her again just how much she meant to me.”
According to ABC News, Gonzales was posthumously promoted to private first class.
Angel Rampersad, 28
The Pentagon announced that Sgt Angel S Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, was also “believed to have been killed in action” during the attack at the Muwaffaq Salti airbase.
The Pentagon said Rampersad was assigned to 1st battalion, 57th air defense artillery regiment, 52nd air defense artillery brigade, 10th army air and missile defense command in Ansbach, Germany.
In a statement on social media, Pesach Osina, a state assembly candidate in the district where Rampersad lived, said that Rampersad was “truly a gift to everyone who knew her”.
“She never sought attention or recognition,” Osina said. “She simply wanted to serve, protect others, and do her duty with courage and humility.”
“Since learning of this tragedy, I have remained close to Angel’s mother, Carol Acevedo, her father, Basdeo Rampersad, and their family,” he added. “There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child, but our entire community stands beside them during this unimaginable time.”
Deonne Jinkins, who is also in the US army, told the Guardian she met Rampersad in 2024 while they were stationed in Germany, and that the two were introduced through mutual friends and quickly became friends.
“We just hung out like every weekend,” Jinkins, 22, said. “She truly was an angel. She was just the sweetest person ever.”
Jinkins, who said that Rampersad had a “radiant smile”, recalled that on her birthday in 2024, she didn’t really have any plans or that many friends around, and said that Rampersad took her out for dinner, and “we went out, and we just had fun.”
“I’m gonna miss her so much, so much,” she added.
New York governor, Kathy Hochul, said in a statement that “Sgt. Rampersad lived a life of courage and selflessness. May we honor her memory, remember her sacrifice, and keep all who loved her in our prayers.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
