Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, a Drake University student and U.S. Army reservist from Des Moines, was killed in an Iranian drone strike at Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba while supporting Operation Epic Fury. In the hours before the attack he sent frequent messages to family reassuring them, often saying, "I'm good." Coady enlisted in 2023 as an information technology specialist, deployed in September, had been recommended for promotion and chose to redeploy while continuing his studies online.
‘I'm Good’: 20-Year-Old Army Reservist Sgt. Declan Coady Killed in Kuwait Drone Strike
Sgt. Declan Coady and five other U.S. Army Reserve soldiers were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait Sunday.(Fox News)
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, a Drake University student from Des Moines, Iowa, was among six soldiers killed Saturday when an Iranian drone struck personnel at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait while they were supporting Operation Epic Fury, officials said.
Andrew Coady and his daughter, Keira, right, talk about his son, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside their home Tuesday, in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Final Hours and Family Reactions
In the hours before the attack, Coady sent frequent messages to his family reassuring them—often saying, "I'm good." His father, Andrew Coady, said the family initially did not think Declan had been involved when they learned of the casualties early Sunday, because he had called his brother in Italy earlier that morning.
This photo provided by Andrew Coady shows his son, Declan Coady, posing for a photo on the day of his graduation at the U.S. Army Training Center at Fort Sill, Okla.
"Declan just was checking in with him ... Declan had been sending us updates every one to two hours, like, 'Hey, everything's still good. I'm good,'" Andrew Coady recalled. "We had just turned the lights off and went into the bedroom and the doorbell rang at 8 p.m."
Service, Studies and Sacrifice
Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist and deployed to Kuwait in September. He was due to return home in May. According to his family, he had been recommended for promotion from specialist to sergeant about a week before the strike; the rank was awarded posthumously.
The fallen service members were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Fla.; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa. Two additional soldiers killed in the attack have not yet been publicly identified.
A student at nearby Drake University, Coady was studying information systems, cybersecurity and computer science and had participated in ROTC; he had the option to remain stateside to continue his studies but chose to redeploy with his unit and take classes online.
Keira Coady talks about her brother, Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside her home Tuesday in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Family Remembered
His sister, Keira Coady, tearfully recalled the morning the family dropped him off for deployment and shared memories of him at home with the family cat. She said the loss still feels unreal and lamented that she did not have one last call to tell him she loved him.
Declan's father described him as hardworking and proud of his service. The Department of Defense is continuing its investigation and notifications to families. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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