By HANNAH FINGERHUT, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and REBECCA BOONE
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) â The last two names of the six U.S. soldiers killed in a Kuwait attack were released Wednesday by the Pentagon, and they are from California and Iowa.
The soldiers identified Wednesday were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento and Maj. Jeffrey OâBrien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa.
The Pentagon said Marzan was at the scene when a drone strike hit the command center in Kuwait and is âbelieved to be the individual who perished at the scene,â according to the statement. A medical examiner will confirm identification, the Pentagon said.
Four soldiers were previously identified by the Pentagon on Tuesday.
They died Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, just a day after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.
The other soldiers identified Tuesday by the Pentagon were: Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa,; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
âSadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. Thatâs the way it is,â President Donald Trump said of the deaths. Trump will attend the dignified transfers of the soldiers when they arrive in the U.S., the White House said Wednesday. The ritual honors service members killed in action.
Amor was just days away from returning to her husband and children.
âShe was almost home,â her husband, Joey Amor, said Tuesday. âYou donât go to Kuwait thinking somethingâs going to happen, and for her to be one of the first â it hurts.â
Amor was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers and tomatoes she grew with her son, a high school senior. She enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
A week before the drone attack, Amor was moved off-base to a shipping container-style building that had no defenses, her husband said.
âThey were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places,â he said.
Childhood friend Natalie Caruso wrote on Facebook that she was âabsolutely heartbrokenâ about Amorâs death.
âNicole was always up for an adventure and she had such a contagious laugh!â Caruso wrote Wednesday.
Coady recently told his father he had been recommended for a promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he received posthumously.
He was among the youngest people in his class, trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his instructors, Andrew Coady said Tuesday.
âHe trained hard, he worked hard, his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a soldier,â Coady said. âHe was also one of the most kindest people you would ever meet, and he would do anything and everything for anyone.â
Coady, an Eagle Scout, was close to his family and often called, even if for only a few minutes. He was studying cybersecurity at Drake University in Des Moines, and he wanted to become an officer.
âI still donât fully think itâs real,â his sister Keira Coady said. âI just remember all of our conversations about what he was going to do when he came back.â
Khork was very patriotic and wanted to serve in the military from childhood, his family said in a statement Tuesday.
He enlisted in the Army Reserve and joined Florida Southern Collegeâs ROTC program.
âThat commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was,â his mother, Donna Burhans; father, James Khork; and stepmother, Stacey Khork; said in a statement.
Khork, who loved history, had a degree in political science.
His family described him as âthe 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.â
Abbas Jaffer posted Monday on Facebook about his friend of 16 years.
âMy best friend, best man, and brother gave his life defending our country overseas,â Jaffer said.
Tietjens, who came from a military family, previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February 2010, he reunited with his overjoyed wife in a local churchâs gym.
âI thought he was going to be the last person in, because he hates all this (hoopla),â his wife, Michelle Tietjens, told the Lincoln Journal Star at the time.
Tietjensâ cousin Kaylyn Golike asked for prayers, especially for Tietjensâ 12-year-old son, wife and parents, as they navigate âunimaginable loss.â
âWe lost a brave soldier this weekend and many hearts are broken,â Golike wrote on Facebook Tuesday.
Tietjens earned a black belt in Philippine Combatives and Taekwondo and was âan instructor who gave his time, discipline, and leadership to others,â the Philippine Martial Arts Alliance said on Facebook.
Army Staff Sgt. Jeff Coleman said Tietjens was his mentor.
âYou could call him day or night,â Coleman told KETV. âHe always took the time, you know, he made you feel important.â