President Trump says transporting soldiers with dignity is the ‘hardest thing’ to do
President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the dignified transfer of soldiers killed in the Iran war.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump paid tribute to four soldiers recently killed in the war in Iran by witnessing a dignified transfer in Dover, Delaware, on July 22, shortly after making new threats against civilian targets in Iran.
The deaths of four U.S. soldiers over the weekend came as the United States ramped up its attacks on Iran, carrying out 11 consecutive days of airstrikes, with no end in sight to the war that President Trump vowed months ago to end quickly.
“They are certainly great heroes,” President Trump told reporters about the fallen soldiers before heading to Dover Air Force Base, where their bodies were returned to the United States. “They all said very strongly that we can’t let Iran have nuclear weapons, so we respect them.”
President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave a right-handed salute as the remains of the four soldiers in American flag-draped caskets were transferred from the plane to a vehicle. A family member could be heard crying as their loved one was removed from the plane.
Three of the fallen soldiers whose bodies were returned to the United States were killed in an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. They are Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Private Isabella Gonzalez, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. And Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York.
The fourth soldier, Sgt. Michael Emanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died during a controlled explosion of an Iranian drone that was shot down in northern Iraq.
President Trump met privately with families of soldiers before the transfer ceremony. As he left Washington, Trump said welcoming back fallen soldiers was “one of the hardest things I have to do as president.”
“All I want to say is, ‘We love you. We love your children,'” Trump said of meeting with the families. “They’re their kids. There’s no games or anything. It’s their kids. And all you can do is give your heart out.”
Families of fallen soldiers leave ceremony with Trump on Air Force One
After the short ceremony, President Trump will leave the Air Force base on Air Force One en route to Marietta, Georgia, where he is scheduled to speak about the newly enabled Trump Account for newborns.
Feehan’s family joined the president on the presidential plane and returned to his home state of Georgia. A White House official said Trump offered to “give them a ride home.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican, North Carolina. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and several White House officials also attended the dignified transfer.
In total, at least 18 U.S. military personnel have died in the U.S. war in Iran. The war began about five months ago and has become increasingly unpopular among Americans in recent polls.
The Pentagon announced this week that more than 100 U.S. soldiers have been injured in the Iran war since July 7, most with mild concussions.
President Trump has vowed to retaliate against Iran in retaliation for the recent deaths of US soldiers and warned that Iran would “pay a price” for the attack. On July 22, he further escalated his threats, vowing in a social media post that he would order all ships attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping waterway, to attack civilian targets such as bridges and power plants.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
