Greater than six months after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, ABC Information spoke with a number of relations of troops who died or have been injured throughout their deployment.
Relations expressed satisfaction for his or her troopers and mirrored on their service.
Thus far, 18 U.S. service members have been killed through the Iran battle — for a total of 808 casualties, in response to Division of Protection information.
With about 50,000 U.S. troops nonetheless deployed within the Center East, President Donald Trump has not but supplied a transparent exit technique from hostilities with Iran, or a timeline as to when troops will return dwelling.
1st Lt. Tyler Feehan
U.S. Military 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, 25, was killed in an Iranian ballistic missile and drone assault on July 17 at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan — only one 12 months after he was deployed there.
1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, 2nd Battalion, fifty fifth Air Protection Artillery Regiment, thirty second Military Air and Missile Protection Command, was killed in motion July 18 throughout an enemy assault at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan.
Brooke Parcus
“It should at all times be the worst day of our lives. We have been instructed that our solely little one, our candy son, was gone,” Shari Feehan, Tyler Feehan’s mom, wrote in a press release to ABC Information. “I consider I used to be in shock after being instructed. I bear in mind saying ‘no’ again and again. I could not breathe.”
The assault that killed Tyler Feehan — in addition to 19-year-old Pvt. Isabella Gonzales — is underneath investigation, in response to the Division of Protection.
Shari Feehan stated that her son valued schooling, aiding 18 of his 21 troopers in enrolling in school, leading to greater than 450 accomplished credit score hours.
“Throughout Operation Epic Fury, a number of of his troopers confronted educational failure and tuition debt resulting from a scarcity of web entry throughout ongoing fight operations,” she stated. “He utilized his off-shift hours to analysis laws and drafted memorandums to their universities, efficiently securing educational waivers and defending their GPAs.”
U.S. Military 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan’s household stated that “his troopers have been his biggest satisfaction.”
Courtesy Shari Feehan
Throughout his deployment, Tyler Feehan was making ready his software for regulation college and was scheduled to take the LSAT on Aug. 7. “He by no means received that likelihood,” Shari Feehan stated.
Due to their son’s ardour for schooling, the Feehans created the CPT Tyler Feehan Legacy Basis that can present scholarships to troopers and assist them rebuild after deployment, Shari Feehan stated.
U.S. Military 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan was killed from an Iranian missile strike on a navy base in Jordan.
Courtesy Shari Feehan
Earlier than discovering out that Tyler Feehan had died within the assault, Shari Feehan stated that she and her husband had learn in regards to the assault within the information, and recalled getting a “sick feeling within the pit of our abdomen.”
“A part of us knew at the moment that it was Tyler,” Shari Feehan stated. “A giant piece of our hearts left this earth once we received the affirmation that we had been fearing.”
Tyler Feehan is survived by his fiancé and household.
Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards
Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, 42, went lacking on July 1 after his helicopter went down within the Arabian Sea, in response to a Navy announcement. The Navy known as off the seek for Gabriel Edwards after 4 days, protecting 14,000 sq. miles. He’s now presumed to be useless.
“I can’t consider he’s gone,” Rosemary Edwards, his mom, stated. “I simply, I can’t fathom it. It’s nonetheless sinking in that he’s gone; his life is reduce brief.”
Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards went lacking on July 1 after a MH-60S helicopter ditched into the Arabian Sea.
Courtesy Rosemary Edwards
The Navy known as off the seek for Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards after 4 days, protecting 14,000 sq. miles.
Courtesy Rosemary Edwards
Gabriel Edwards was declared lacking after three of the service members in his four-person MH-60S Seahawk helicopter crew have been rescued at sea after an emergency touchdown. The Navy stated the reason for the incident stays underneath investigation, however there isn’t any indication the emergency was attributable to hostile motion.
“I really feel like I ought to’ve been proper there with him, excellent there, down there, simply happening with him or one thing. As a mother, a part of you does go down with him, I suppose,” Rosemary Edwards stated. “I take into consideration that second the place he’s afraid and never capable of assist himself. I feel mothers simply wish to know the way it occurred.”
Rosemary Edwards stated that her son was deployed for the Iran battle in April, and was the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Squadron 5, referred to as the “Nightdippers,” which launched into USS George H.W. Bush. He had assumed command of the “Nightdippers” in July 2025.
Rosemary Edwards stated the household plans to attend to do a memorial service till Gabriel Edwards’ squadron returns dwelling from deployment in order that they will attend.
Gabriel Edwards was a profession Navy man, Rosemary Edwards stated. He graduated from Norfolk State College in 2006 with a level in physics and was commissioned by way of the Naval ROTC. He accomplished flight coaching in 2008 and was deployed a number of occasions.
Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards is survived by his spouse, Rebecca, two kids and a big prolonged household.
Courtesy Rosemary Edwards
Christopher Amling, Gabriel Edwards’ uncle, stated that his nephew was piloting the helicopter that went down.
Gabriel Edwards had not too long ago been promoted to captain, the very best officer rank within the Navy. Amling stated that he was on the peak of his profession.
“He actually beloved his service and received good into it and superior fairly considerably in a brief time frame,” Amling stated. “That’s the sort of individual he was. He was at all times a excessive achiever. He was good. Most of all, he knew give credit score to others.”
He’s survived by his spouse Rebecca, two kids and a big prolonged household.
Sgt. 1st Class Cory Hicks
An Iranian drone assault at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait on March 1 killed six troopers of the Military’s 103rd Sustainment Command and injured dozens extra. Sgt. 1st Class Cory Hicks was amongst these injured, telling ABC’s Minnesota affiliate KSTP the strike led to inside accidents, shrapnel wounds, facial fractures and a traumatic mind harm.
Sgt. First Class Cory Hicks speaks with KSTP from his hospital room, March 9, 2026.
KSTP
Hicks stated he noticed the nostril of the drone earlier than it hit the constructing he was in, “that’s when it blew up and simply blew the entire constructing aside.”
“I got here to, and I checked out one among my different colleagues, troopers in entrance of me, and he was holding his head, and he had blood coming down, sort of seemed round and noticed all the pieces was simply smoke and fireplace and loopy and chaos,” he instructed KSTP.
Shortly after the assault, Hicks was put at the back of a van and dropped at a hospital in Kuwait. He’s nonetheless recovering from the assault, and his household stated he’s combating short-term reminiscence loss and PTSD.
“A deployment to Kuwait, everybody jokes about; all of the navy neighborhood jokes about it being a ‘trip,’ not a deployment,” Hicks stated at Walter Reed Nationwide Army Middle in Maryland. “However at any cut-off date, one thing can kick off with one other nation like Iran, and you end up in a scenario the place it may be hostile actually rapidly, and you need to attempt to put together your thoughts for that. And I don’t assume any of us have been actually ready for it.”
His colleague and buddy, Grasp Sgt. Nicole Amor, was one of many six troopers killed within the assault.
“She was actually 5 ft from me when it occurred,” Hicks stated. “After I seemed over my left shoulder, the drone impacted principally proper above her.”
He stated his spouse additionally knew Amor, and that that they had a close-knit group. Amor challenged him to learn extra books and was the “kindest girl” who was “very caring and keen to go the additional mile,” he stated.
“There hasn’t been battle in Kuwait for over 30 years,” Hicks stated. “We thought we have been protected. We thought it was simply going to be a foolish ‘nother 12-day battle, and Israel and Iran are going to do their factor, and it’ll be over,” Hicks stated. “Nevertheless it’s coming to a realization that it’s turning into one thing larger than we thought.”
