President Trump and the First Lady today will travel to Delaware to attend the dignified transfer of those 6 US service members killed during this conflict in the Middle East. It is *** solemn reminder of what is at stake as the US military operation in Iran intensifies after 1 week of war. The Pentagon says it has struck more than 3000 targets in Iran, with at least 43 Iranian ships damaged or destroyed. On Friday, President Trump met with defense contractors. About speeding up the production of American weapons. Meanwhile, his administration also approved the sale of more bombs to Israel on an emergency basis, bypassing the typical congressional review process. The White House insists that America does have enough in its stockpiles to achieve its sweeping goals in Iran, an operation that the president has said could last more than *** month. President Trump now says that he wants to be involved in picking Iran’s next leader, and despite Calls for de-escalation in diplomacy. The president wrote on social media, quote, There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender. What the president means is that when he, as commander in chief of the US Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses *** threat to the United States of America and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realized, uh, then Iran will essentially be in *** place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not. But Iran’s president said that the US demand for unconditional surrender is *** dream that they should take to their grave. He also apologized for Iran’s attacks on neighboring countries in the region and insisted that those attacks would stop. Reporting at the White House, I’m Jackie DeFusco.
PHOTOS: Bodies of 6 slain Army reserve soldiers, including 2 Iowans, return to U.S.
President Donald Trump joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer of six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait. On Saturday, Trump and Vice President JD Vance attended the dignified transfer with their spouses and top administration officials. Those killed in action were Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. Trump stayed silent during the transfer, as protocol requires. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases moved from the military aircraft to waiting vehicles. He later told reporters that it’s a “very sad day” and that he was “glad we paid our respects.” The six U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike at a command center.The ritual at Dover Air Force Base honors U.S. service members killed in action and is one of the most solemn duties undertaken by the commander-in-chief. See photos from Dover Air Force BaseWhat is a ‘dignified transfer’?While presidents often attend such events, a dignified transfer is not a formal ceremony. Instead, it is a solemn process meant to ensure dignity, honor and respect for fallen service members.A dignified transfer occurs when the remains of U.S. troops killed while supporting combat operations arrive in the United States, most often at Dover Air Force Base. Each transfer case, draped with an American flag, is carefully carried from the aircraft to an awaiting transport vehicle by a carry team made up of service members from the fallen troops’ branch. A senior-ranking officer presides over the transfer.Once on the ground, the transfer cases are moved individually to waiting vehicles and transported to the mortuary facility at Dover Air Force Base.There, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System conducts positive identification and prepares the fallen service members for their final resting place.Sgt. Declan CoadyEven as thousands of miles kept him away from his family in Iowa, Declan Coady stayed in touch with them through messages hours before the attack, his sister Keira Coady wrote in a statement to CNN.“I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him,” she wrote, adding the loss of her brother was hard to accept.The 20-year-old of Des Moines, Iowa, was a gym enthusiast, a fencer and an Eagle Scout who loved video games and anime, Keira Coady said about her brother.And he also loved his job in the Army Reserve, even when he worked long days around the clock while overseas, his father, Andrew Coady, told the Associated Press.Declan Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist. Among the youngest in his class, Coady stood out to his instructors, according to his father.“He was very good at what he did,” his father said. While he was supposed to come home in May, he was considering extending his time for another nine months.The soldier had received several military awards, including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon, and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He told his father last week he’d been recommended for the promotion, the AP reported.He “was a man of few words more often than not, but if you ever had the chance to talk to him about something he was passionate about, you were lucky,” Keira Coady wrote.While deployed in Kuwait, Coady was continuing his studies online in information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science at Drake University, school officials told CNN, and had set his sights on becoming a commissioned officer, according to the AP. Drake officials described him as “well-loved and highly dedicated.”Coady had given his family updates about his safety while in Kuwait, and when they suddenly stopped, his sister said the family tried to stay positive but knew something was wrong.Maj. Jeffrey O’BrienJeffrey O’Brien found ways to take care of his family even while serving thousands of miles away – a “true hero in every sense of the word,” his family said. “He was not only a role model to our kids, but also a goofy and silly dad, always looking for ways to make the kids laugh,” his family said, remembering him as a caring husband, incredible friend, dedicated worker, and a man of deep faith.O’Brien was “the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know,” his aunt Mary Melchert said in a tribute on Facebook.The 45-year-old was a husband and father to three children with a long military career, his aunt said.“We are in shock, grieving, and grappling with the reality that we have lost the most important man in our lives, and we are trying to come to terms with how we move forward,” the family’s statement reads.
President Donald Trump joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer of six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait. On Saturday, Trump and Vice President JD Vance attended the dignified transfer with their spouses and top administration officials.
Those killed in action were Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.
Trump stayed silent during the transfer, as protocol requires. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases moved from the military aircraft to waiting vehicles. He later told reporters that it’s a “very sad day” and that he was “glad we paid our respects.” The six U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike at a command center.
The ritual at Dover Air Force Base honors U.S. service members killed in action and is one of the most solemn duties undertaken by the commander-in-chief.
See photos from Dover Air Force Base
What is a ‘dignified transfer’?
While presidents often attend such events, a dignified transfer is not a formal ceremony. Instead, it is a solemn process meant to ensure dignity, honor and respect for fallen service members.
A dignified transfer occurs when the remains of U.S. troops killed while supporting combat operations arrive in the United States, most often at Dover Air Force Base. Each transfer case, draped with an American flag, is carefully carried from the aircraft to an awaiting transport vehicle by a carry team made up of service members from the fallen troops’ branch. A senior-ranking officer presides over the transfer.
Once on the ground, the transfer cases are moved individually to waiting vehicles and transported to the mortuary facility at Dover Air Force Base.
There, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System conducts positive identification and prepares the fallen service members for their final resting place.
Sgt. Declan Coady
Even as thousands of miles kept him away from his family in Iowa, Declan Coady stayed in touch with them through messages hours before the attack, his sister Keira Coady wrote in a statement to CNN.
“I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him,” she wrote, adding the loss of her brother was hard to accept.
The 20-year-old of Des Moines, Iowa, was a gym enthusiast, a fencer and an Eagle Scout who loved video games and anime, Keira Coady said about her brother.
And he also loved his job in the Army Reserve, even when he worked long days around the clock while overseas, his father, Andrew Coady, told the Associated Press.
Declan Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army information technology specialist. Among the youngest in his class, Coady stood out to his instructors, according to his father.
“He was very good at what he did,” his father said. While he was supposed to come home in May, he was considering extending his time for another nine months.
The soldier had received several military awards, including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon, and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He told his father last week he’d been recommended for the promotion, the AP reported.
He “was a man of few words more often than not, but if you ever had the chance to talk to him about something he was passionate about, you were lucky,” Keira Coady wrote.
While deployed in Kuwait, Coady was continuing his studies online in information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science at Drake University, school officials told CNN, and had set his sights on becoming a commissioned officer, according to the AP. Drake officials described him as “well-loved and highly dedicated.”
Coady had given his family updates about his safety while in Kuwait, and when they suddenly stopped, his sister said the family tried to stay positive but knew something was wrong.
Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien
Jeffrey O’Brien found ways to take care of his family even while serving thousands of miles away – a “true hero in every sense of the word,” his family said.
“He was not only a role model to our kids, but also a goofy and silly dad, always looking for ways to make the kids laugh,” his family said, remembering him as a caring husband, incredible friend, dedicated worker, and a man of deep faith.
O’Brien was “the sweetest blue-eyed, blonde farm kid you’d ever know,” his aunt Mary Melchert said in a tribute on Facebook.
The 45-year-old was a husband and father to three children with a long military career, his aunt said.
“We are in shock, grieving, and grappling with the reality that we have lost the most important man in our lives, and we are trying to come to terms with how we move forward,” the family’s statement reads.