Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Thursday expressed her regret for the loss of four state troopers since December, including two He was killed last weekend In a retaliatory drone strike in Kuwait during the early stages of the war with Iran.
“I believe in the mission right now,” Reynolds, a Republican, said during a news conference, her voice breaking at times.
“I think this is the right thing to do,” she said, referring to the US and Israeli strikes against Iran. “Just look at what Iran has done over the last several years. I hope we’re in and out. I think that’s the goal of this administration.”
Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, and Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, of West Des Moines, was among six Army reservists killed in the drone strike. They were all assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water, ammunition, transportation equipment and supplies.
Reynolds said she spoke with Cody’s father and O’Brien’s wife.
“As you can imagine, their hearts are broken, and we as citizens of Iowa grieve with them,” she said, adding that some of the wounded soldiers were safely transported to Germany.
In December, two members of the Iowa National Guard were killed, Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, They were killed in Syria. The US military accused ISIS.
“I can’t imagine the sacrifice,” the governor said.
Also among those killed in Kuwait was Petty Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54. Although he was from Sacramento, California, he served with others from Iowa, including Lucas Shafroth, who called the news of his death devastating.
“For me, he was my greatest mentor in life. I mean, I’m the father I am today – I’m the man I am today – because of him,” said Shafroth, who is from Waukee, Iowa, and served his entire career in the Army Reserve for 13 years with Marzan. “I took a lot of life lessons from him.”
Shafroth was 18 and fresh out of high school in 2008 when he first met Marzan, and the older man put a computer in his hands and asked him to learn it. Later, Shafroth sat down to review the goals and help him develop a five-year plan for them.
“He was just a great guy,” Shadforth said. “And he did that to everyone he met. Every one of us.”
The men remained close to each other after Shadforth, now 35 and a cybersecurity professional, left the military in 2021.
“Rob and I had plans for him when he got home to sit down and put our business plans together,” he said. “He and I wanted to start our own small business, and we were going to help each other figure out all the details.”
Tina Marzan said her husband’s deployment was supposed to end in two months, and the family was planning to celebrate his birthday in April when he returned.
The Army identified the three other soldiers killed in Kuwait as: Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn., Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla., and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
On Thursday evening, the martial arts studio where Tietjens practiced in Bellevue held a memorial tournament in his honor.
Senior teacher Julius Melegretto led the class through 43 repetitions of several exercises because today would have been Tietjens’ 43rd birthday.
Tietjens was always willing to offer and help others, Melegretto said, noting that he participated in Zoom classes while deployed and taught his fellow soldiers martial arts.
Tietjens, his wife and 12-year-old son earned black belts at a suburban Omaha studio, part of the International Alliance of Philippine Martial Arts.
ProCircular, a cybersecurity firm where O’Brien worked, praised his “delightful sense of humor” and “calm direction.”
“His quiet strength and expertise have helped protect countless systems and left a lasting impact on everyone who has had the privilege of working with him,” said CEO Aaron Warner.
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Associated Press writers Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, and Josh Funk in Bellevue, Nebraska, contributed.