President Donald Trump has, on Wednesday, paid tribute to four American service members killed in separate Iranian attacks in the Middle East, receiving their flag-draped caskets during a solemn military ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
The “dignified transfer” ceremony comes as criticism of the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to mount.
Three of the fallen – First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad, 28, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19 – were killed on Friday after an Iranian missile struck their sleeping quarters at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. All three served in US Army air defense brigades.
The fourth service member, Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, died on Sunday in Irbil, Iraq, during the controlled detonation of an attack drone.
The Pentagon said on Monday that 100 U.S. service members have been injured since July 7, with 96 percent already returning to duty.
The conflict has cost American taxpayers at least $37.5 billion, claimed the lives of 18 American service members, injured more than 450 troops, and left thousands of Iranians dead.
The war has also drawn increasing scrutiny from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, while driving up global oil prices with no clear end in sight. Since the conflict erupted in February, Trump has offered varying explanations for the U.S. mission.
Before departing for Delaware, Trump acknowledged the emotional weight of the occasion.
“We’re going to honor them. For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president. But it has to be done”, Trump said.
Asked what he would tell the families of the fallen, Trump said, “All I’m going to say is, we love you. We love your child, and that’s what they are to them. They’re their children. There’s no games, no nothing”.
Dover Air Force Base, home to the largest U.S. military mortuary, has long hosted such ceremonies attended by presidents, vice presidents and other senior officials during periods of conflict.
