The 30-year-old North Carolina soldier died while troops neutralized a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base; another service member was lightly wounded Related TopicsThe Pentagon on Tuesday identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, as the third U.S. soldier killed following Iran’s weekend attacks on American forces in the Middle East.Swinton was killed Saturday during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, the military said. Another U.S. service member suffered minor injuries and received medical treatment. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, part of the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commander of the U.S. Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said Swinton died “during an operation to safeguard fellow soldiers.”“His service will not be forgotten, and his sacrifice is not in vain,” Rafferty said. “We will support Sgt. Swinton’s family and his unit during this difficult period. His loss will inspire his fellow soldiers to continue the mission.”Swinton enlisted in the Army in 2017 and served as an air defense early warning system operator. The Pentagon said he would be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.His death followed an Iranian missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan that killed Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii.A third service member was initially listed as missing after the attack in Jordan. U.S. Central Command later said unidentified remains had been recovered at the base and were undergoing examination. Four other U.S. troops injured in the attack were hospitalized and later released.The three confirmed deaths came during a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran, as Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. positions in the region and the U.S. military carried out successive waves of strikes against targets inside Iran.Swinton’s death brought the number of U.S. service members killed since the conflict with Iran began on February 28 to 17, according to military reporting.Comments