WASHINGTON (AP) — On Monday, the Defense Department identified two U.S. Army soldiers who were killed in Jordan while countering Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. These are the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the early stages of the ongoing war.
The Defense Department’s statement named Tyler James Feehan, 25, from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, from Carrollton, Texas, as the soldiers who died during Friday’s attacks. Feehan, a first lieutenant, will receive a posthumous promotion to captain and be awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge. Although detailed commendations were not provided, Feehan served with the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was nearing completion of a Master of Business Administration from Southern Utah University, which has agreed to grant his degree posthumously.
“Our hearts are with his family, fellow service members, classmates, and all who knew and loved Tyler as we mourn this profound loss together,” stated Mindy Benson, university president, in a public release.
Gonzales held the role of private with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. School officials shared that she was a recent graduate from Hebron High School in Carrollton, near Dallas. The Lewisville Independent School District expressed their collective grief in a statement.
“She gave her life in that service, and our district is heartbroken by her loss. Her decision to serve after graduation speaks volumes of her character.”
The military reported that Gonzales died on Friday, followed by Feehan’s death the next day, omitting further specific details.
Central Command reported a third service member missing from the same attacks that claimed Feehan and Gonzales’s lives. The command noted that “unidentified remains” have been discovered and are under examination. Since the onset of the war with Iran, 17 U.S. service members have died.
The conflict, despite not requiring American troops within Iran’s borders, maintains drastic risks involving drones, missiles, and aircraft. As tensions rise post-peace talks breakdown, American forces stationed throughout the Middle East remain exposed to Iranian hostilities and those of its affiliates.
U.S. President Donald Trump has articulated the war’s goal as preventing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The president faces mounting political pressure to conclude the conflict, avoiding the prolonged engagements in the Middle East he had previously campaigned against.
Drones and missiles continue to claim casualties on both fronts. A service member in northern Iraq died from unexploded ordnance of an Iranian drone on Saturday, per Central Command, with another service member sustaining minor injuries.
The military reserves further details for at least 24 hours following family notifications.
The Iranian government reported recent U.S. strikes have killed more than 50 individuals and injured over 500, including eight fatalities from an attack on a bridge last Friday.
Both nations have targeted vital civilian infrastructure. Casualties also include ship workers and foreign laborers in the Gulf, Israel, and Lebanon.
Initial U.S. military casualties emerged shortly after the war began. An Iranian drone strike at a civilian port in Kuwait killed six American soldiers shortly after the U.S.-Israel offensive on February 28. These soldiers, part of a supply unit stationed in Iowa, were in a largely unprotected shipping container structure.
Another soldier died more than a week afterwards from injuries sustained during Iran’s March 1 assault on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
March saw further losses when a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting U.S. operations against Iran crashed in Iraq. The incident, described by Central Command, occurred in “friendly” airspace during an unspecified event involving another aircraft.
Additionally, last week marked the death of a Navy pilot in a helicopter crash within the Arabian Sea. Although initially noted as an emergency landing, the Navy stated July 1’s crash did not stem from hostile activity. The other three sailors aboard were successfully rescued.