Trump pays respects to 4 US service members killed in Middle East
Last Updated:July 23, 2026, 00:00 ISTRepresentational image (Image: News18)Dover Air Force Base (US), Jul 22 (AP) President Donald Trump on Wednesday honoured the lives of four US service members who were. . .
Last Updated:July 23, 2026, 00:00 ISTRepresentational image (Image: News18)Dover Air Force Base (US), Jul 22 (AP) President Donald Trump on Wednesday honoured the lives of four US service members who were killed in the Middle East and returned to their families at an air force base in Delaware. The president saluted as four transfer cases were escorted off an airplane during the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. The ritual is one of the most sombre duties of a commander-in-chief. It was the third Trump has attended since he launched the war in Iran in February. Recommended StoriesTrump was scheduled to meet privately with the grieving families. Speaking to reporters on his way to Dover, Trump called the ritual “one of the hardest things to do as a president". His message to the families, he said, was, “We love you. We love your child. " “There’s no games, there’s no nothing — that’s their child," Trump said. “And all you can do is throw out your heart. " Trump was accompanied by administration officials including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also present were Senator Thom Tillis and Senator Chris Coons. During the ritual, transfer cases draped with the American flag and holding the remains of the fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that transported them to awaiting vehicles to take them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the service members are prepared for their final resting place. Two US Army soldiers killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan were returned during the dignified transfer. The remains of a third service member who is believed to be the soldier missing after the Jordan attacks was also returned, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in Iraq during a detonation of an Iranian drone. The soldiers killed in Jordan were identified by the Defence Department as Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. The soldier who disappeared after the Jordan attacks is Angel S Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, the Defence Department said. The soldier killed in Iraq was identified as Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, who lived in Spring Lake, North Carolina. The White House said Feehan’s family would be joining on Air Force One later on Wednesday as Trump travels to Georgia for an event promoting his administration’s investment accounts for children. Trump previously said the soldiers died while protecting America and other nations from Iran. “We feel very badly, but you know, those great people, those great patriots were out there fighting so that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump told reporters on Sunday. He added that the US was striking Iran “in honour" of the fallen troops. The US has launched multiple retaliatory strikes against Iran as an interim agreement to end the war falls apart. Trump on Monday said that every time Iran kills an American soldier, “they will pay for that killing many times over!" Since the war began on Feb 28, 18 US service members have been killed. Trump on Tuesday said that while almost all the incoming fire in Jordan was stopped, some made it through. “They did slip something through in Jordan," he said. “If we had other operators, you know, it would have not happened, unfortunately. " He went on: “We’ve stopped almost everything, but when you let other people do your job with the United States — we let other people do the job — and sometimes it doesn’t work out so well. " Trump did not elaborate on his comments, and it was not immediately clear who he was saying was responsible for protecting US forces in Jordan. Trump attended two previous dignified transfers since the outset of the war, most recently in March. Feehan, a first lieutenant who was killed Saturday, will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He was assigned out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defence Command. Feehan’s family said in a statement that their hearts were shattered by his loss. They remembered Feehan, who went by “Tivo," as someone who “packed in more living" in his 25 years than most do in a lifetime. “He chased adventure relentlessly," the statement said. “He believed deeply in the power of military service, especially what it builds in a person: discipline, leadership, character. " He planned to marry his fiance and attend law school after his deployment. The family said they’re starting a scholarship in his name. Gonzales, who was killed Friday, was a private with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defence Command in Ansbach, Germany. She graduated last year from Hebron High School in Carrollton, near Dallas, school officials said. Rampersad, a sergeant who was believed to have been killed in Friday’s attacks, was assigned to the 57th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defence Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defence Command in Ansbach, Germany. Swinton, a sergeant who was killed Sunday, will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defence Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (AP) SCY SCY(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed -PTI)News18 NewsletterHandpicked stories, in your inboxA newsletter with the best of our journalismKey Questions AnsweredThe US-Iran conflict is marked by ongoing hostilities and diplomatic contradictions. President Trump has announced the end of the war and a "great settlement", but Iran denies a final deal has been approved. First Published:July 23, 2026, 00:00 ISTNewsagency-feedsTrump pays respects to 4 US service members killed in Middle EastDisclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to ourTerms of UseandPrivacy Policy. Loading comments. . . Read More