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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump honored four soldiers recently killed in the war in Iran as he attended their dignified transfer in Dover, Delaware, on July 22 shortly after making new threats against civilian targets in Iran.
The deaths of the four U.S. troops last weekend came as the United States has ratcheted up attacks on Iran ‒ hitting the country with airstrikes for 11 consecutive days ‒ with no end in sight to a war that Trump vowed months ago would be over quickly.
"They’re indeed great heroes," Trump told reporters of the deceased soldiers before heading to Dover Air Force Base, where their remains were returned to the United States. "All of them said, very strongly, that we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, so we’re going to honor them."
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Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saluted with their right hands as the four soldiers' remains, inside caskets with American flags, were transferred from a plane into vehicles. One family member could be heard wailing as their loved one was taken off the plane.
Three of the fallen soldiers whose bodies were returned to the United States were killed by Iranians attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. They are Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas; and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.
The fourth soldier, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
Trump met privately with the families of the troops before the transfer ceremony. As he left Washington, Trump called welcoming the return of fallen soldiers "one of the hardest things you have to do as president."
"All I'm going to say is, 'We love you. We love your child,'" Trump said of his meeting with families. "They're their children. No games, no nothing. That's their child. And all you can do is throw out your heart."
Family of deceased soldier leaves ceremony with Trump on Air Force One
After the brief ceremony concluded, Trump left the air base on Air Force One en route for Marietta, Georgia, where he's scheduled to give remarks on newly activated "Trump accounts" for newborns.
Feehan's family members joined the president on the presidential plane to return to Georgia, where they are from. A White House official said Trump offered to "give them a ride home."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina; Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware and several White House officials also attended the dignified transfer.
In all, at least 18 U.S. service members have died in the U.S. war in Iran, which began nearly five months ago and has turned increasingly unpopular among Americans in recent polling.
The Pentagon said this week more than 100 U.S. soldiers have been injured in the Iran war since July 7, with the vast majority sustaining minor concussions.
Trump vowed revenge against Iran in retaliation to the recent deaths of U.S. soldiers, warning Iran will "pay" for the attacks. He escalated his threats further on July 22, vowing in a social media post that he would order strikes on civilian targets ‒ a bridge or power plant ‒ for every ship that comes under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil shipments.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump honors return of four US soldiers killed in Iran war
