Fallen Soldiers Return Home
On Wednesday, the bodies of two Iowa National Guard members who died in a Syrian desert attack arrived in Des Moines, bringing sorrow to their families on Christmas Eve.
Relatives gathered around the flag-draped caskets of Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and William Nathanial Howard, 29, offering comfort and wiping tears. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, and U.S. Representative Zach Nunn attended alongside Iowa National Guard leaders.
The soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter killed in the December 13 ambush were flown to the U.S. last week, where President Donald Trump paid respects and met with families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Ceremonial Transfer
Escorted by Howard's step-brother and two other Guard members, the caskets were unloaded from an Iowa Air National Guard aircraft that had collected them from Delaware. In Des Moines, fellow Guard members in white gloves carried the cases during the transfer ritual.
After families mourned on the tarmac, the caskets were placed in hearses—one blue and one black—for transport to funeral homes in Des Moines and Marshalltown, escorted by police. The soldiers, posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, served in the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment. Funerals are scheduled for coming days.
Along the route from Des Moines International Airport, dozens of people lined up on the mild December day, holding American flags to honor the fallen.
Broader Impact
Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a U.S. civilian interpreter from Macomb, Michigan, was also killed and buried in Michigan over the weekend. Hundreds of U.S. troops remain in eastern Syria as part of the coalition against the Islamic State group.
Following the attack, Trump promised "very serious retaliation," and the administration conducted military strikes described by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a "declaration of vengeance" on social media. Three other Iowa National Guard members were wounded, with two evacuated from Syria returning to the U.S. on December 20.
