Trump honors fallen Iowa National Guard members in dignified transfer ceremony

President Donald Trump visited Dover Air Force Base to participate in a dignified transfer ceremony honoring two Iowa National Guard members, sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, who were killed in an attack in Syria.Along with them, U.S. civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat also lost his life in the incident. The solemn event involved the transfer of their remains,draped with the American flag,from a military aircraft to the mortuary facility. Several officials, including Iowa’s senators, governor, and other government representatives, attended the ceremony. Trump met with family members of the fallen soldiers and expressed condolences,vowing serious retaliation against ISIS. Three additional Iowa National guard members were injured in the attack, though their identities have not been disclosed. The dignified transfer was conducted quietly, without public remarks.


Trump honors fallen Iowa National Guard members in dignified transfer ceremony

President Donald Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the dignified transfer of two Iowa National Guard members killed in Syria.

Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, along with Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a U.S. civilian interpreter from Macomb, Michigan, were killed in the attack on Saturday. The two National Guard members served in the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment.

The dignified transfer is a solemn process to honor fallen U.S. service members. The remains of Torres-Tovar and Howard arrived at the Dover Air Force Base in transfer caskets draped with the American flag, after being carried off a C-17 military aircraft. The president, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA), White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) watched the event.

President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth salute as carry teams move the transfer cases with the remains of Iowa National Guard members Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat, who were killed in an attack in Syria, during a casualty return, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Their remains will be transported to the mortuary facility at the base and prepared for their final resting place in Iowa.

The dignified transfer is a mostly silent event, with neither the president nor the attendees giving public remarks.

Three more members of the Iowa National Guard were injured in the Syria attack, but the Pentagon has not yet revealed their identities.

President Donald Trump salutes as an Army carry team moves the flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Iowa National Guard soldier Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, during a casualty return, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

First lady Melania Trump was also slated to appear in Delaware with the president, but for reasons that are unclear, she did not attend.

The president also met with family members of Torres-Tovar and Howard before the dignified transfer began.

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On Saturday, Trump said “there will be very serious retaliation” against ISIS after the deaths of the National Guard members and the civilian.

“We mourn the loss, and we pray for them and their parents and their loved ones,” he added.



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