The Pentagon has identified two Army soldiers killed while serving in Jordan, including a 19-year-old soldier from North Texas, as U.S.-Iran fighting continues across the Middle East.
Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton and 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, were killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, according to information released Monday by the Defense Department. Gonzales was 19, and Feehan was 25.
The military said the soldiers were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led mission against the Islamic State group. U.S. Central Command previously said American and partner forces at the base had been defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.
Officials have not said which weapon caused either death. The incident remains under investigation.
Gonzales was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. Feehan was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Attack also left one service member missing
CENTCOM reported Saturday that two service members had been killed in Jordan and a third was missing in action following the Iranian attack. Four other service members were evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and later discharged, while personnel evaluated for minor injuries returned to duty, according to the military’s initial account.
The latest reports did not announce that the missing service member had been located. Military officials generally delay releasing identities until relatives have been notified.
A separate U.S. service member was killed Saturday in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, CENTCOM said. Another service member suffered a minor injury. The military had not released the name of the person killed in Iraq as of Monday’s reports.
The U.S. military said 17 American service members have died in the conflict with Iran since it began in late February. The two deaths in Jordan were the first U.S. fatalities directly attributed to an Iranian attack since fighting resumed following the breakdown of a ceasefire.
Strikes continue across the region
U.S. forces carried out a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting military command centers, air defenses, coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks, according to CENTCOM.
Iran has continued attacks against U.S. forces and regional partners. The renewed fighting has also restricted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and contributed to higher oil and gasoline prices.
For Texas readers, Gonzales’ death gives the expanding overseas conflict a direct connection to the state. Carrollton is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. No additional family information should be inferred or published unless released by relatives or the military.
Sources: The Washington Post report via Apple News, the original Washington Post report, Associated Press reporting and U.S. Central Command.
