President Donald Trump grieves with families during return of soldiers killed in war in the Middle East

Dover Air Force Base, Delaware – President Donald Trump on Saturday joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base in the dignified transfer of the six American soldiers killed in the war in the Middle East.

The dignified transfer, the ritual return of the remains of American service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said certifying the transfer was “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do” as president.

Trump, who was speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before his trip to Delaware, said the fallen soldiers were heroes “coming home a different way than they thought they would come home.” He said this was a “very sad situation” and pledged to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”

Both Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were present for the transfer, as were their wives. The ceremony was attended by a group of senior administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who wrote in a social media post on Friday about the “unbreakable spirit to honor their memory and the resolve they embodied.” Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wales, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence.

Governors and senators from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Florida also attended the solemn event.

Those killed in action were Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.; Petty Officer 1st Class 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; And Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, of West Des Moines, MO, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.

As is protocol, Trump, wearing a blue suit, red tie and white American cap, did not speak during the transfer. The President saluted as each flag-draped transport case was transferred from the military aircraft to waiting transport vehicles, which would transport them to a morgue to prepare them for their final resting place. The families remained largely silent as they performed the ritual, which lasted about half an hour.

The six members of the Army Reserve killed in a drone strike on a command center in Kuwait were all from the 103rd Sustainment Command headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, which provides food, fuel, water, ammunition, transportation equipment and supplies. They died just one day after the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.

“These soldiers engaged in a noble mission: protecting their fellow Americans and keeping our nation safe,” Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a veteran, said earlier this week after identifying the six. “Our nation owes them an incredible debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.”

During the ceremony, transport boxes covered with the American flag carrying the remains of the dead soldiers are transferred from the military plane that transported them to one of the vehicles waiting to transport them to the morgue at the base. There, service members are prepared for their final resting place.

Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, said earlier this week that she was scheduled to come home to him and their two children within days.

“You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something is going to happen, and to be one of the first — it hurts,” Joey Amor said.

O’Brien served in the Army Reserves for nearly 15 years, according to his LinkedIn account, and his aunt said in a Facebook post that O’Brien “was the sweetest, blond, blue-eyed farm kid you could ever know. We really miss him.”

Marzan’s sister described him in a Facebook post as a “strong leader” and a loving husband, father and brother.

“Little brother, you are loved and I will always keep and cherish all of our memories in my heart,” Elizabeth Marzan wrote.

Cody was among the youngest students in his class, trained to troubleshoot military computer systems, but he impressed his teachers, his father, Andrew Cody, told The Associated Press.

“He trained hard, he worked hard, and his physical fitness was important to him. He loved being a Soldier,” Cody said. “He was also one of the kindest people you could ever meet, and would do anything and everything for anyone.”

Khork’s family described him as “the life of the party”, known for his “contagious spirit” and “generous heart” and who had wanted to serve in the military since childhood.

“This commitment has helped shape the course of his life and reflects the deep sense of duty that has always been at the core of his character,” according to a statement from his mother, Donna Burhans, his father, James Khork, and his stepmother, Stacey Khork.

Tietjens, who comes from a military family, previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. When he returned home in February 2010, he met his overjoyed wife in the local church gym.

Tietjens’ cousin, Cailin Gulick, asked for prayers, especially for Tietjens’ 12-year-old son, his wife and his parents as they suffer an “unimaginable loss.”

Trump most recently traveled to Dover in December to honor two members of the Iowa National Guard and an American civilian translator who were killed in an ambush attack in the Syrian desert. He attended dignified transfers several times during his first term, including for a Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, for two Army officers whose helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, and for two Army soldiers killed in Afghanistan when someone wearing an Afghan Army uniform opened fire.

Kim reported from Washington.