Washington, March 8
Under a grey afternoon sky at Dover Air Force Base, the silence on the flight line was broken only by the slow steps of an honour guard carrying transfer cases draped in the American flag. President Donald Trump stood at attention, raising his hand in salute as each case bearing the remains of fallen soldiers was carried past him, families of the dead watching quietly nearby.
Trump on Saturday attended the dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honour six US Army soldiers killed in a hostile incident in Kuwait. The president walked onto the flight line at 3:09 p.m. Eastern Time. The solemn process concluded at 3:41 p.m. with the call "Flight Line Dismissed".
Trump wore a navy suit and red tie along with a white ball cap bearing the word "USA" in gold lettering. He saluted as each transfer case was carried from the aircraft by the military honour guard.
The front row of officials included Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Usha Vance. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine stood nearby.
In the second row were White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also present, along with US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George.
Members of Congress and state officials joined the families of the fallen soldiers. Among those present were Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, and Pete Ricketts, as well as Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, and Kim Reynolds of Iowa.
Family members of the six soldiers stood close to the flight line as the transfer cases were carried out one by one.
The soldiers were identified as Maj. Jeffery R. O'Brien of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody A. Khork of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan of Sacramento, California; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady of West Des Moines, Iowa.
Most of the soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa.
Officials said the six service members were killed in a hostile incident at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait.
According to Dover Air Force Base officials, the remains of fallen service members are transported in transfer cases used to carry them to the base. The transfer cases are not coffins or caskets.
After a service member has been identified and prepared for return to family members, the remains are placed in a casket and transported to their final resting place.
The transfer at Dover is described as a solemn process rather than a ceremony.
Dover Air Force Base serves as the main arrival point for US military personnel killed overseas. Its mortuary affairs facility has handled the return of thousands of American service members since the Vietnam War.
Dignified transfers are a long-standing military tradition in which senior officials and families gather on the flight line to honour troops who died in combat or hostile incidents while serving abroad.
- IANS
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