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U.S. soldier killed in Iraq drone disposal incident
A 30-year-old U.S. soldier died Sunday during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian one-way attack drone at Erbil Air Base. A second service member was wounded in the same incident.
Jul 21, 8:29 AM·2m read6 sources
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A 30-year-old U.S. soldier was killed over the weekend while disposing of a downed Iranian one-way attack drone at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq. The Pentagon said Tuesday that Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died during a controlled detonation of the drone. The statement did not specify the drone's origin.
A U.S. Central Command bulletin issued Sunday identified the projectile as Iranian and said Swinton died Saturday. The Pentagon statement placed the death on Sunday. CENTCOM reported that a second service member suffered a minor injury in the same incident. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Sunday that the troops were decommissioning ammunition when an accident occurred.
Swinton served in D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He joined the Army in 2017 as an air defense early warning operator. His unit's commanding general, Lt.
Gen. John L. Rafferty, said Swinton's service will not be forgotten and that the command will support his family. Swinton was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and will receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.
Monday the Pentagon named two soldiers killed in an Iranian attack on an air base in southern Jordan. They were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, killed Saturday, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, killed Friday.
A third soldier at the Jordan base remains missing in action. Nearly 100 American service members have been injured in multiple Iranian attacks on bases across the Middle East this month, U.S. officials told CBS News on Monday. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said 96 percent of those injured have returned to duty.
>"They are determined to get back in the fight. " — Sean Parnell, Pentagon spokesman, July 20, 2026 (CBS News) The incidents follow the collapse of a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. The U.S. military has conducted strikes on Iranian targets for 10 consecutive nights to stop attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
