Just days before a deadly drone strike in Iran, 20-year-old Declan Coady shared hopeful news with his father. Soon after, he became one of six U.S. service members killed in a March 1 drone attack during Operation Epic Fury.
The Pentagon identified four of the victims: Capt. Cody Khork (Florida), Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens (Nebraska), Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor (Minnesota), and Coady from Iowa. All served in the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), supporting troops through logistics and supply operations.
Military leaders honored the fallen soldiers, calling their deaths a sacrifice that will never be forgotten. U.S. President Donald Trump vowed retaliation and predicted the war with Iran could last about four weeks or less, though he warned more casualties were possible.
Coady, a West Des Moines native, joined the Army Reserve in 2023 as an IT specialist and was pursuing online studies in cybersecurity and computer science at Drake University while deployed in Kuwait, hoping to become a commissioned officer.
Only a week before his death, he told his father he had been recommended for promotion. After his death, Coady was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. His family remembers him as a dedicated soldier, student, and son whose life was cut short by the attack.