Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP / Getty Images
The Pentagon has identified the U.S. soldier killed in an Iranian attack on an Iraq base as Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Swinton died on Saturday (July 18) during a "controlled detonation" of an Iranian drone at Erbil Air Base, Iraq. He was one of three U.S. soldiers killed in Iranian attacks over the weekend.
According to Military Times, Swinton enlisted in the Army in 2017 as an Air Defense Early Warning System Operator and was stationed in Fayetteville. He was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. Following his death, Swinton will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge.
Lieutenant General John L. Rafferty, commanding general of Army Air and Missile Defense Command, stated that Swinton died "during an operation to safeguard fellow soldiers." The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation. A second service member was wounded in the detonation but received treatment for a minor injury.
Swinton's wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, expressed her grief on Facebook, sharing a photo of him in uniform with a child. She wrote, "I didn't think this would be the last time I ever saw you."
In addition to Swinton, The Guardian reported that two other U.S. soldiers, First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were killed in Iranian strikes on a U.S. airbase in Jordan.
Swinton's death adds to the toll of U.S. casualties since the conflict with Iran began on February 28. Nearly 100 U.S. servicemembers have been injured since July 7, with most returning to duty.