LAKELAND, Fla. — The Pentagon has identified four of the six service members killed in the Iran conflict, stating they died in a drone strike in Kuwait.
The Iranian retaliatory drone strike targeted a command center located in Port Shuaiba. All four of the soldiers identified by the Pentagon were members of the Army Reserve.
Capt. Cody Khork, a resident of Lakeland, FL, was among those killed in the attack. Khork began his military career in 2009, enlisting in the National Guard as a 13P, Multiple Launch Rocket System and Fire Direction Specialist.
In 2014, Khork commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve. His career included several overseas assignments, including deployments to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2021 and Poland in 2024.
Khork received numerous awards and decorations during his service. These honors include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Army Superior Unit Award. He was also awarded the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal.
Additional decorations for Khork included the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal and the Armed Forces Service Medal. He also received the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 10 Year Device and “M” Device.
All of those listed by the Pentagon were killed were Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Spc. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
