An Iowa soldier has fallen in a Middle East conflict just a little over 10 weeks after the deaths of two Iowa National Guard members.
Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, a sophomore at Drake University and Army reservist from West Des Moines, was killed in action in Kuwait on Sunday, March 1, in an Iranian strike at Shuaiba Port in Kuwait. The attack also killed three other soldiers assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, a Des Moines-based unit.
Shuaiba on the Persian Gulf is near Camp Buehring, a U.S. base where Coady’s father Andrew and sister Keira told the Des Moines Register he had been stationed.
The Pentagon on Tuesday, March 3, identified the others killed in the strike as Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It also confirmed Coady, posthumously promoted to sergeant from specialist, was among them.
The attack came after the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on Saturday against Iran, with strikes that killed senior Iranian leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Coady’s family said they were notified of his death around 8 p.m. Sunday. His father, mother Katherine, sister and brother Rowan were at home when they received the news.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that Coady, was “a young Iowan who heroically answered his nation’s call to duty and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” adding that she and husband Kevin “offer our deepest condolences to his family and ask all Iowans to join us in prayer for their healing and comfort.”
Drake University, in a statement, said “we are heartbroken to learn that Declan Coady — a well-loved and highly dedicated Drake University student studying information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science — was confirmed to be among the six U.S. service members killed in Kuwait on Sunday. He has bravely served in the U.S. Army Reserves since 2023 as an Information Technologies Specialist and had an incredibly bright future ahead of him.
“In moments like these, we must all come together to show much-needed love and compassion for the Coady family through this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said.
Coady’s awards and decorations include the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon and the Overseas Service Ribbon, according to an Army statement.
‘I didn’t get a chance to tell him I love him one more time’
Andrew Coady said he had last spoken to his son on Saturday, and “he was telling us that he was safe.” Declan Coady had given his family hourly updates, last speaking to his brother, Aidan, 25, an Army Cpl. stationed in Italy.
Their father said Coady told his brother he was OK, “But we had a feeling based off the limited timeframe, we feel shortly after he got off the phone with his brother, that this incident happened.”
Coady’s 22-year-old sister, who graduated from Drake in 2025, said, “He was my younger brother… I’m just really sad that I didn’t get a chance to tell him I love him one more time.”
Coady had joined the Army Reserves while at Drake. He could have been exempt from deployment because he was in ROTC, but still deployed to Kuwait, leaving in August 2025.
His father said he was looking into active duty after his deployment. “That’s how much he loved it,” he said.
Coady would have turned 21 on May 5.
A GoFundMe posting seeking support for his family said, “Declan was more than a soldier — he was a son, a family member, a friend, and a light in the lives of those who knew him. He served his country with honor, courage, and dedication, embodying the very best of what it means to wear the uniform.”
It said the funds raised will assist with costs including funeral and memorial expenses and travel.
“Let us come together to honor Declan’s life, his service, and his sacrifice — and to surround his family with love and support,” the posting said.
As of Tuesday, six American troops had been killed in the conflict.
The deadly retaliatory strike came just a little over a month after Reynolds made a five-day visit to key installations in the Middle East where Iowa troops were deployed, including Camp Buehring. The visit spanned Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait, where nearly 1,800 Iowa National Guard members were deployed at the time.
Slain soldier was Valley High graduate
Coady graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines in 2023.
“He was just the nicest. He was quite shy and a man of few words, but he was amazing,” his sister said.
“He was still outgoing in many ways. He was not afraid of doing anything,” his father added. “He would always step up and help people. Declan was very good at what he did in the Army.”
Coady went through the ranks of the Boy Scouts, earning the top rank of Eagle. His two brothers did the same.
Declan loved gaming, going to the gym and the family cat, Autumn, and enjoyed camping and hiking with his family.
“We were all really close, growing up,” his sister said.
Coady’s death follows those late last year of Iowa National Guard Staff Sgts. William Nathaniel “Nate” Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines. A suspected ISIS gunman ambushed them near Palmyra, Syria, also killing civilian interpreter from Michigan. Three other Iowa National Guard soldiers were wounded.
The bodies of Howard and Torres-Tovar were brought back to Iowa on Christmas Eve and laid to rest at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery on Dec. 29. They were the first Iowa Army National Guard members to die in combat since Sgt. Terryl L. Pasker was killed in the Afghanistan War in July 2011.
Iowa had nearly 1,800 soldiers deployed throughout the region as part of Operation Inherent Resolve before a first wave of about 250 Guard soldiers returned home in February. The Guard announced last weekend another 575 are in the process of returning.
The others lost
Here is what to know about the other troops killed in the Sunday attack in Kuwait.
Capt. Cody A. Khork
A statement from Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where the Army Reserve Command is based, said Khork originally enlisted in the National Guard in 2009. He was a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist. Commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserves in 2014, he deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Poland before his latest assignment.
In a joint email Tuesday night, Khork’s parents and stepmother wrote that he participated in the ROTC program at Florida Southern College. They said he earned a degree in political science and enjoyed learning about history.
“Cody was truly the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him,” they wrote.
Abbas Jaffer posted on Facebook that Khork was his “friend, best man and brother” who “had supported me and been there for me over 16 years of my life and been part of every major life event I’ve had. He has shaped me into the person I am today.”
“I’ve watched him support others and myself through the years when he had nothing to his name and never complained about it.” Jaffer wrote. “That’s just the type of person he was.”
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor
Amor enlisted in the National Guard in 2005, according to the Fort Bragg statement. She worked as an automated logistics specialist and transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and was later deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.Amor’s awards include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.
A Give in Kind page for the Amor family, with a photo of the four, asked for “support in providing meals to Joey + their two kids: Adeline and Owen, as they navigate this difficult time.”
In a Facebook post on March 3, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar posted a message in remembrance of Amor.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, wrote on Facebook: “John and I join countless people across Minnesota in mourning Sgt. First Class Nicole Amor of White Bear Lake, who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones, and all those in our armed forces.”
Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens
Tietjens, a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska, enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic, the Fort Bragg statement said. He also had deployed to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device.
Long-time friend Jonn Coleman of Bellevue, Nebraska, said he first met Tietjens in 2015 when both were members of the Army’s 443rd Transportation Company based in Elkhorn, Nebraska. At the time, Tietjens was a motor sergeant.
Coleman ― who had recently re-enlisted after years as a civilian ― said he was having a hard time getting back in shape and advancing his rank. Often, soldiers who are struggling can find themselves the subject of hazing instead of coaching, he said.
Tietjens was different.
“He worked out with me. He trained me on sergeant-level stuff, doing reports and how to get through the army systems on the computer,” Coleman said in an interview with the Register. “He was instrumental, I could not have become a staff sergeant myself without him teaching me.”
Tietjens’ brother reached out to Coleman earlier in the week to tell him about the death of Tietjens, who Coleman said was married and had at least one child.
“It was kind of a moving thing for me… somebody I looked up to who was a mentor for me was actually (telling) his family that he also had a connection with me too,” Coleman said.
Register Capitol Bureau Chief Stephen Gruber-Miller and staff writers Brianne Pfannenstiel, Tyler Jett, Virginia Barreda and Samantha Hernandez contributed to this article.
Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa soldier Declan Coady killed in Iranian strike in Kuwait
Reporting by Kevin Baskins and Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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