The American soldier who was killed in Iraq when an Iranian plane exploded, named Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton
A 30-year-old American soldier was killed over the weekend in Iraq when what the U.S. military said was a controlled explosion destroyed an attack aircraft.
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was “killed in action during an airstrike” of a drone at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement Tuesday.
The statement did not say anything about the Iranians, but a report from the US Central Command on Sunday said “it was an attack aircraft that was attacked in Iran in one way.”
The incident is still under investigation.
US Army
The US military said Swinton was killed on Sunday, but a CENTCOM report said he died on Saturday.
CENTCOM said a second crew member was injured in the same incident and was treated for what it called “minor injuries.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the military “was cutting ammunition and an accident occurred in that process and they were injured,” without providing further details.
Swinton was part of D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joined the military in 2017 as an early warning pilot, according to the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC).
“His service will not be forgotten, and his sacrifice is not in vain,” said USASMDC commander-in-chief Lt. General John L. Rafferty in a statement. “We will support the family of Sgt. Swinton and his unit at this difficult time. His loss will inspire his fellow soldiers to continue the mission.”
Swinton was promoted to staff sergeant and will receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, USASMDC said.
On Monday, the Pentagon also named two names soldiers killed in the attack on Iran at the airport in southern Jordan. They were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who was killed Saturday, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, who was killed on Friday. Both were stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
The Pentagon said Tuesday that a third soldier previously listed as missing from an air base in Jordan is now believed to have been killed. The soldier has been identified as 28-year-old Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad of Ozone Park, New York. Rampersad was assigned to a unit based in Germany.
About 100 American service members were injured in several Iranian attacks on bases in the Middle East this month, US officials told CBS News on Monday. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed these numbers in a statement sent to CBS News, saying that nearly 100 people “were considered to be injured to some degree as of July 7, 2026,” 96% of whom have returned to work.
“They are determined to go back to the war. A lot of the casualties were minor problems,” said Parnell.
The rise in the US death toll comes as the war drags on to fall of the ceasefire between Iran and the US
The US military has carried out strikes on Iranian targets for 10 consecutive nights, saying it wants to stop Iran from attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated by attacking US assets in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and other US-allied states in the region, as well as attacking ships in the crisis.
