President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in an ambush in Syria, where an interpreter was also lost; the attack is being assessed as likely the work of ISIS and occurred while the troops were working with local partners. War Secretary Pete Hegseth joined the transfer, and although the first lady planned to attend she was unable to take part. The movement of the fallen was carried out under the procedures outlined by mortuary affairs and marked the first dignified transfer the president has attended since returning to office.
The transfer brought home Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, alongside U.S. civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, all of whom died in the attack. These were not anonymous names on a list but fathers, sons and teammates who served in units tied to the Iowa National Guard. Their families and community will now carry the weight, and the nation owes them a steady, solemn response.
The shootings happened during what the Pentagon described as a key leader engagement with local partners, an essential part of efforts to counter ISIS influence in the region. Initial assessments place the incident outside the control of interim Syrian authorities there and point toward ISIS as the likely perpetrator. That context matters because it underlines how dangerous these engagements remain even when our people are trying to build stability with trusted local contacts.
The two soldiers were assigned to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division of the Iowa National Guard, units that answer the call when their state and nation need them. These Guardsmen balanced civilian lives back home with hard, dangerous missions overseas, and their death is a sharp reminder that citizen-soldiers take heavy risks in service to all of us. Recognition and support from the chain of command and the White House are small comforts but necessary ones after a loss like this.
Meskwaki Nation Police Chief Jeffrey Bunn publicly identified his son Nate among the casualties, a human face on a horror that ripples through communities. “My wife Misty and I had that visit from Army Commanders you never want to have. Our son Nate was one of the Soldiers that paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, to keep us all safer. He loved what he was doing and would be the first in and last out, no one left behind. Please pray for our soldiers all around this cruel world. We will see you again son, until then we have i[t] from here,” Bunn wrote.
“The dignified transfer is not a ceremony; rather, it is a solemn movement of the transfer case by a carry team composed of military personnel from the fallen member’s respective service,” Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations reads. “A dignified transfer is conducted for every U.S. military member who dies in the theater of operation while in the service of their country.” Those words are meant to set a tone of respect and restraint, and the country must honor that posture even as it seeks accountability.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth stood with the transfer detail at Dover, signaling that the national leadership is present when service members make the ultimate sacrifice. The first lady had planned to attend but was ultimately unable to participate, a detail that matters to family members and the military community in attendance. The president’s choice to be there underlines a simple point: leadership shows up for the fallen and for the people who mourn them.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said two Army soldiers and one civilian U.S. interpreter were killed and three other people were wounded in the attack, clarifying the scale of the incident. These casualties are immediate and measurable, and the wounded face their own long road to recovery while families and units rebuild. The facts coming from the Pentagon guide any decision-making that follows.
A Pentagon official noted the attack occurred in an area outside the control of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and initial assessments indicate it was likely carried out by ISIS. That assessment frames this as part of the continuing challenge of rooting out militant networks that still operate in fragile zones. Americans expect a clear-eyed approach: mourn and honor the dead, support the wounded and their families, and pursue those responsible with purpose and resolve.
