A 20-year-old United States Army Reserve soldier was among six troops killed in a drone attack in Kuwait, an incident that has intensified concerns over the widening regional conflict linked to Iran.

Sgt. Declan Coady, a university student from Des Moines, Iowa, died when an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait. The attack occurred during a mission supporting the US military operation known as Operation Epic Fury.

Young soldier among six killed in strike

According to officials from the United States Army Reserve, Coady was the youngest among the soldiers killed in the strike.

He had enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist while also studying information systems, cybersecurity and computer science at Drake University in Iowa.

The US Department of War confirmed that six Army Reserve personnel were killed in the drone attack. Four of the soldiers have been publicly identified, while the names of two others have not yet been released.

Final messages sent to family

According to his father, Andrew Coady, the young soldier had been sending regular messages home in the hours before the attack.

“He was texting every one or two hours saying everything was fine,” Andrew said in an emotional interview.

Coady had also spoken with his brother, who lives in Italy, shortly before the incident. The family initially believed he was safe because of that conversation.

However, after the messages stopped, concern began to grow. Later that evening, military officers arrived at the family’s home to inform them of the tragedy.

Soldier loved military service

Coady’s father said his son had grown passionate about serving in the military during his deployment.

Although he could have continued studying full-time at Drake University through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programme, he chose to deploy with his unit and continue classes online while serving overseas.

“He told me he worked 12-plus hours a day and sometimes seven days a week — and he loved it,” his father said.

Just days before the attack, Coady had been recommended for promotion from specialist to sergeant, a rank he later received posthumously.

Family remembers young life lost

Coady’s sister Keira described the loss as devastating, recalling how the family had been planning for his return home later this year.

He had deployed to Kuwait in September and was expected to return in May.

“He was just 20. He would have turned 21 in two months,” she said.

The drone strike has drawn renewed attention to growing tensions in West Asia and the risks faced by military personnel deployed in the region.