The U.S. Defense Department identified Major Jeffrey O\u2019Brien, a 45-year-old from Waukee, as one of the six Army Reserve soldiers killed in the Iran strike of a tactical operations center in Kuwait\u2019s Port of Shuaiba on March 1. On Tuesday, the department identified Sgt. Declan J. Coady, a 20-year-old from West Des Moines, as another one of the soldiers killed in the attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hearts are broken by the deaths of Major Jeffrey O\u2019Brien and Sergeant Declan Coady, two brave Iowa soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure freedom and peace,\u201d Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement. \u201cOn behalf of a grateful state, Kevin and I offer our prayers and condolences for their families, and we ask all Iowans to stand united in support of our fallen soldiers and those who loved them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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All the soldiers at the Kuwait facility were assigned to the the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines. The other three soldiers identified are Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.<\/p>\n
According to a U.S. Army Reserves news release, O\u2019Brien was commissioned as a Signal Corps Officer in 2012 in the Army Reserve, and deployed to Kuwait in 2019, and had received multiple awards and decorations. He was an employee at ProCircular in Coralville,\u00a0nominating his employer\u00a0for their support as he served in the U.S. Army Reserve.<\/p>\n
Iowa politicians responded to the news of O\u2019Brien\u2019s death with condolences for the families of soldiers in the attack. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he and his wife are \u201coffering our prayers for Iowa\u2019s grieving Gold Star Families\u201d following the news of O\u2019Brien and Coady\u2019s deaths.<\/p>\n