WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will undertake one of the most solemn duties facing the commander in chief on Wednesday when he will witness the dignified transfer for two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert.
The ritual at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware honors US service members killed in action. Trump, who traveled to Dover several times in his first term, once described it as “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.
The two guardsmen killed in Syria on Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the US Army. Both were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. The men have been hailed as heroes by the Iowa National Guard.
A US civilian working as an interpreter, identified Tuesday as Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Macomb, Michigan, was also killed. Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were injured in the attack. The Pentagon has not identified them.
They were among hundreds of US troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the Daesh group.
