The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed the identity of the soldier who was killed in Iraq last week during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone as Sgt. Michael Swinton, 30, from Fayetteville, N.C. His death is under investigation. (U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command)
The soldier killed during the controlled detonation of a downed drone in Iraq last week was Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Swinton, a 30-year-old from Fayetteville, N.C., was supporting overseas contingency operations, the Defense Department said. His death is under investigation.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, out of Fort Bragg, N.C.
He leaves behind a wife and young daughter, according to public Facebook posts from his family.
Swinton’s unit is part of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade under the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
“Sgt. Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him,” Brig. Gen. John Dawber, commanding general of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement. “He answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication.”
Swinton will receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He will also be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, according to Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
The Pentagon confirmed over the weekend that two other soldiers, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed in attacks on an air base in Jordan.
As of Tuesday, military officials were still working to identify the remains of what could be a third service member killed in the same attacks.
The U.S. for years has maintained a small military presence in Iraq as part of operations against the Islamic State group.
Many of those troops withdrew at the start of the war as Iran-backed militias targeted bases in Iraq with missiles and drones, according to reports from the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General.
A total of 18 service members have been killed in the conflict, which began on Feb. 28 and has escalated in recent weeks as a June ceasefire fell apart.
The U.S. said Tuesday that it had completed its 10th consecutive day of attacks, targeting Iranian air defenses and missile and drone launch sites.
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