President Donald Trump salutes Wednesday as a U.S. Army team carries the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, during a dignified transfer event at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for U.S. service members killed during operations in the Middle East. Feehan was killed in action Saturday during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. (Saul Loeb – AFP / Getty Images)
By Randy DeSoto July 23, 2026 at 2:35pm
President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Wednesday for four U.S. service members killed in the war with Iran.
“We’re going to Dover,” the president told reporters before boarding Air Force One for the short flight to the base.
“Some of you are going with us, to honor our heroes, and they are indeed great heroes, actually. They said, and they — all of them said very strongly — we can’t let, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. They won’t have a nuclear weapon. So we’re going to honor them.”
President Trump departs for the dignified transfer honoring the 4 Americans killed in the Middle East:
“They are indeed great heroes… We’re going to honor them… For me, it’s one of the hardest things to do as president.” 🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/IIFP3ah7B1
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 22, 2026
The service members who were killed were Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of New York, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina, according to CBS News.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine also attended the ceremony.
.@POTUS attends the dignified transfer of the four American Patriots killed in the Middle East.
🇺🇸 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan
🇺🇸 Sgt. Michael Swinton
🇺🇸 Sgt. Angel Rampersad
🇺🇸 Pvt. Isabella Gonzales pic.twitter.com/wWtQ6YqaTT— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 22, 2026
Trump spoke about the dignified transfer later in the day at a campaign event in Georgia, saying, “I think it’s the toughest thing I do of anything I do. I do all this stuff, but I think it’s the toughest thing I do.”
The president also mentioned that Feehan’s parents and uncle flew on Air Force One with him to Georgia, since that was where they planned to travel after the Dover ceremony.
They attended the event in which Trump spoke, and he honored the Gold Star family from the stage.
One of the most moving moments I have ever seen at a rally.
This footage came after President Trump acknowledged the family of deceased 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan.
Having just met them at Tyler’s dignified transfer ceremony in Dover, President Trump offered Tyler’s mother Shari,… pic.twitter.com/m5BPvjZV7J
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) July 22, 2026
CBS News reported, “Feehan and Gonzales were both killed in action during the strikes on the [Muwaffaq Salti Air Base] in Jordan, according to the Pentagon. U.S. Central Command had announced Rampersad as missing in action, but updated her status Tuesday to whereabouts unknown, and she is believed to have been killed in the same attack.”
An emotional airport tribute unfolds as travelers pause to honor a fallen service member.
Powerful video shared by the White House shows passengers stopped in their tracks at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, many with their hands over their hearts, as “Amazing Grace” played… pic.twitter.com/vRroOm6N9J
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 22, 2026
Further, “Swinton, a father of two, was killed at Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq during the detonation of an Iranian drone.”
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Randy DeSoto has written more than 4,000 articles for The Western Journal since he began with the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book “We Hold These Truths” and screenwriter of the political documentary “I Want Your Money.”
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean’s list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith
