The Pentagon has released the identities of the two remaining soldiers among the six who tragically lost their lives in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait on Sunday.
According to a statement issued by the War Department on Wednesday, Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, aged 45, from Indianola, Iowa, died when an Iranian kamikaze drone directly struck the triple-wide trailer he was operating out of in Port Shuaiba.
In a separate announcement, the Pentagon indicated that Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert M. Marzan, 54, from Sacramento, California, is also presumed to have perished in the attack. Official confirmation of his death awaits certification by a medical examiner.
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a heartfelt statement regarding Marzan, who is survived by his wife and family. “The sacrifices made by military families are immeasurable, and California stands in solidarity with them, united in grief and gratitude. Chief Warrant Officer Three Marzan’s steadfast commitment exemplifies the highest ideals of our state and our country,” expressed the governor’s office.
This devastating incident claimed the lives of six US service members, all part of the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, marking a somber chapter in the ongoing tensions with Iran.
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In total, six US service members with the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command were all killed in the Sunday Iranian drone attack.7
Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Florida.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Nebraska.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, Iowa, also died in the attack, as announced by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
The highly-decorated soldiers had a wealth of experience between them. Some, like Amor, served for nearly two decades. The youngest in their battalion, Coady, enlisted in 2023.
“To the families and teammates of these Cactus Nation Soldiers: you have my deepest sympathy and my respect,” Maj. Gen. Todd Erskine, the commanding general of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command, said in a statement. “Our nation is kept safe by folks like these — brave men and women who put it all on the line every single day.
“They represent the heart of America. We will remember their names, their service, and their sacrifice.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that the tactical operations center where the six soldiers were based “was fortified.” Military officials later told CBS News that the structure had no strong protection from the devastating overhead attack.
However, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell denied CBS’s reporting, claiming it was “not true.”
CNN also reported that before the deadly drone strike in Kuwait, no siren or warning went off alerting troops to take cover.
The incident is still under investigation.
