The Pentagon has identified the U.S. soldier who was killed Sunday while working to destroy a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died in what officials described as a mishap during a controlled detonation at Erbil Air Base.
His wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, shared news of his death in a Facebook post Sunday morning.
“I didn’t think this would be the last time I ever saw you,” she wrote, posting the message alongside a photo of Swinton embracing a little girl. “I have no words.”
“I was informed this morning that my husband, Michael, was killed while serving in Iraq,” Gonzalez-Swinton wrote. “I’m navigating how to process this so please bear with me.”
Swinton is among three American service members confirmed dead over the weekend amid the escalating conflict with Iran.
On Monday, the War Department identified Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, as the service members killed in a July 17 Iranian missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan.
Since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, the U.S. military death toll has risen to 17 service members.
