Pentagon identifies soldier killed in Iraq during controlled detonation of Iranian drone ordnance

Published Jul 21, 01:30 PM UTC

The Pentagon identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, as the U.S. soldier killed on July 19 in Erbil, Iraq, during a controlled detonation of ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A second service member was wounded with a minor injury. Swinton will receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge, and will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant. The incident is under investigation. Separately, three other U.S. troops were killed on July 17 by an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. A total of 18 U.S. service members have died supporting operations against Iran since February 28, and roughly 100 have been injured since July 7.