Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks in April during a House Armed Services Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, the Department of Defense released the name of a soldier killed Sunday in Iraq while supporting U.S. attacks on Iran. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
The Pentagon on Tuesday released the name of an active-duty U.S.soldier killed Sunday in Iraq while supporting the U.S. attacks on Iran.
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, N.C., was killed during “a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System,” or attack drone, at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, the Department of Defense said in a statement Tuesday. The department said the incident was under investigation.
Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.
He was the third U.S. soldier confirmed dead in the Iran war since the United States and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding in June. Overall, 17 U.S. service members have been confirmed dead in the war since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February.
On Monday, the Pentagon released the names of two active-duty soldiers killed Friday by an Iranian strike in Jordan. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were stationed at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which was hit by Iranian ballistic missile and drones strikes.
U.S. Central Command also said that “unidentified remains” were found at the base and that a service member had been listed as missing since the attack Friday. No death has been confirmed.
Iranians rally after cease-fire agreement
Iranians rally after a ceasefire announcement at Enqhelab Square, in Tehran on April 8, 2026. Photo by Behnam Tofighi/UPI | License Photo
