Pentagon identifies Army soldier killed in action during Iraq operation - Fox News

What the report says

Fox News reported that the Army has identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, as the U.S. service member killed during an Iraq operation involving a downed Iranian attack drone. According to the report, Swinton died at Erbil Air Base while troops were conducting a controlled detonation of an unexploded one-way unmanned aerial system. The incident remains under investigation, and U.S. Central Command said another service member was injured and received medical care.

Swinton served with U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Fox cited military statements praising him as an experienced noncommissioned officer and saying he died during an effort intended to protect other soldiers. The report said he will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.

Fox reported that Swinton’s death raised the number of U.S. service members killed since the start of the conflict with Iran to 17, including deaths from attacks as well as crashes and other operational incidents in the region. The article also linked the Iraq incident to recent U.S. casualties in Jordan, where 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan of Hawaii and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales of Texas were identified after Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The report comes as U.S. forces continue operations across the Middle East, with Fox citing Central Command figures that more than 50,000 American personnel are deployed in the region. The developments underscore the risks to U.S. troops from drones, missiles and unexploded ordnance amid the broader confrontation with Iran.