Trump Honors Winter Haven Soldier Among 6 Killed in Iran Drone Strike

President Donald Trump joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday for the dignified transfer of six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed by a drone strike in Kuwait during the war with Iran, including a Winter Haven, Florida, native.

Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven was among the six members of the 103rd Sustainment Command, based in Des Moines, Iowa, killed at a command center in Kuwait one day after the U.S. and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran. The others identified were Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.

For Treasure Coast and broader Florida families with relatives serving in the Army Reserve, Khork's death underscores the direct human cost of the conflict. Florida's senators and governor were present at Dover for the transfer. Khork's family described him as "the life of the party" with an "infectious spirit" and a "generous heart" who had wanted to serve in the military since childhood. "That commitment helped shape the course of his life and reflected the deep sense of duty that was always at the core of who he was," his parents said in a statement.

Vice President JD Vance and their spouses also attended, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, saluted each flag-draped transfer case as it was carried from the military aircraft. He did not speak, as is protocol. Speaking earlier Saturday at a Latin American leaders summit in Miami, Trump called the fallen soldiers heroes "coming home in a different manner than they thought they'd be coming home" and pledged to keep American war deaths "to a minimum."

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a combat veteran, said earlier this week: "These soldiers engaged in the most noble mission: protecting their fellow Americans and keeping our homeland secure. Our nation owes them an incredible debt of gratitude that can never be repaid."

The mortuary facility at Dover will prepare the remains for final burial. No funeral dates have been publicly announced.

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