Remains of 4 US soldiers arrive at Dover Air Force Base for dignified transfer

The remains of four U.S. soldiers killed in action last week in the Middle East arrived Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where they were honored with a dignified transfer.

President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine traveled to the air base to attend the solemn event.

Trump was scheduled to meet privately with the families. Speaking to reporters on his way to Dover, Trump called the ritual “one of the hardest things to do as a president,” according to The Associated Press. His message to the families, he said, was, “We love you. We love your child.”

In a statement posted on X, the Pentagon said: “Today, we welcomed home four brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Their courage will never be forgotten.”

The Pentagon announced Monday the identities of two active-duty Army soldiers killed in Jordan last week. First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were serving at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base when it came under Iranian attack. 

On Tuesday evening, Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, N.Y., was announced as the third soldier killed in the attack.

From left: Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas; 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, N.Y. The three soldiers were victims of an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan, on July 17, 2026. (U.S. Army)

The Pentagon identified another fallen soldier Tuesday. Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, N.C., was killed during a controlled detonation of a downed drone in Iraq while supporting overseas contingency operations. His death is under investigation.

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 soldiers’ deaths mark the first U.S. troops killed in action since March, raising the number of American service members killed in the war with Iran to 18. About 447 troops have been injured in the conflict which began on Feb. 28 and has escalated in recent weeks as a June ceasefire fell apart.

Both nations began trading strikes this month after both accused the other of violating the ceasefire. Iran has resumed targeting oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy reinstated its blockade on Iranian ports.

Since the start of the conflict with Iran, Trump and Hegseth have attended three dignified transfers, with the last two taking place in March.