JD Vance recently participated in the dignified transfer of the seventh U.S. service member to lose their life in the Iran conflict, occurring just hours after former President Donald Trump acknowledged that his vice president held a more reserved stance on the ongoing war. Vance attended the solemn ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, from Glendale, Kentucky, who died in an attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Alongside Pete Hegseth and senior military officials, Vance honored the fallen soldier as the flag-draped transfer case was respectfully moved from the aircraft to a waiting vehicle. Earlier on Monday, Trump noted that Vance had a different philosophical approach at the start of the Iran war but downplayed any significant discord between them.
The seventh soul
Vance, a veteran of the Iraq War, has generally stayed out of the media spotlight since the U.S. began its operations in Tehran, despite Trump’s admission of their differences. “We get along very well on this,” Trump remarked to reporters. “He was, I would say, philosophically a little bit different than me. I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going, but he was quite enthusiastic.” Trump swiftly added, “But I thought it was something we had to do. I didn’t feel we had a choice.” The dignified transfer remains one of the most solemn responsibilities for any commander in chief. In his first term, Trump described witnessing these transfers as “the toughest thing I have to do” as president. Vance shared his personal reflection, stating, “I was honored to participate in the dignified transfer of six American soldiers who were killed overseas in this conflict with Iran. And I had never done that before.” He also requested prayers for the “seventh soul” lost and for the families of all the fallen heroes.
The Iraq influence
Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington served in the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Fort Carson, Colorado. The unit’s mission involved missile warning, GPS, and satellite communications, as noted on their website. Pennington joined the military as a unit supply specialist and became part of the Space and Missile Command on June 10, 2025, according to an Army release. His commendations included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. Vance has consistently expressed that his experiences in Iraq with the Marines have shaped his belief that the U.S. should avoid promoting wars abroad. He even authored a 2023 op-ed where he praised Trump’s foreign policy, emphasizing the importance of “not starting any wars.”
The vice president seems to have been posting less on X amid the war, some social media critics have noted. He has yet to refer to it as a war, as the president has, opting instead for ‘conflict’ or ‘operation,’ on his typically busy account. Vance is considered to be the president’s most influential advisor in his inner circle, according to a new exclusive Daily Mail/JL Partners poll of registered voters . Nineteen percent of respondents said the vice president is the most influential member of Trump’s inner circle. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was second with 12 percent, followed by Donald Trump Jr. and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller tied for third place. The vice president previously stressed on Fox News earlier this month how the president would not let the Iran war be a repeat of the US operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. ‘There’s just no way that Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multi-year conflict with no clear end in sight and no clear objective,’ Vance said.
‘He’s defined that objective as Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and has to commit long-term to never trying to rebuild the nuclear capability. It’s pretty clear. It’s pretty simple, and I think that means that we’re not going to get into the problems that we’ve had with Iraq and Afghanistan,’ Vance told Fox. Trump shared on Monday that the US would not be letting up in its offensive against the Islamic Republic. ‘If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,’ Trump posted on social media. ‘We are the ones who will determine the end of the war,’ Iran’s Revolutionary Guard military force said in a statement.’
During his televised press conference, the president said that Iran has ‘no air force,’ and without radar, telecommunications, anti-aircraft systems, and most importantly, leadership. Iran’s military drone capacity is down to 25 percent and is soon expected to go to zero while the country’s missiles are mostly destroyed, he added. When Trump was asked how soon the battle with Iran would end, he declined to say within the week, only offering, ‘soon.’
