Family recalls Army son Sgt. Declan Coady killed in Iran drone attack in Kuwait

He fell US Army Reserve Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, spent his final hours in Kuwait sending constant updates home to ease his family’s fears amid the war with Iran – before silence replaced his messages and uniformed officers arrived at his parents’ door.

Cody, a student at Drake University from Des Moines, yeahHe was one of six Army reservists killed Saturday in an Iranian drone attack on Shuaiba Port in Kuwait while supporting Operation Epic Fury, according to the Department of War (DoW).

He was the youngest dead soldier identified by the War Department, and enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an Army IT specialist.

His father, Andrew Cody, said in an emotional interview: Family She learned of the victims shortly after she woke up on Sunday morning, but did not believe Declan was involved because he had spoken to his brother in Italy earlier in the morning.

Sgt. Declan Cody and five other US Army reservists were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday. (U.S. Army Reserve Command Press Office)

“Declan was just checking on him, because Declan is nine hours ahead of us,” Andrew said. “He was two hours ahead of his brother, so he called his brother. And Declan would send us updates every hour or two, like: ‘Hey, everything’s still good.’ “I’m fine.” Which shows you he was thinking about us. Like “don’t worry about me” etc.”

Based on information the family received, Andrew said Declan’s operations center was bombed shortly after his phone call with his brother ended.

“At that time, my wife sent him another message… and we never heard back,” Andrew said. “They may not always be able to respond, but I will say most of us start with that [worry]. Your gut starts to feel. “We go to bed fairly early, so Sunday night we got ready to go to bed, and we had just turned off the lights and went into the bedroom and the doorbell rang at 8pm.”

Andrew Cody and his daughter Kira, right, talk about his son, Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside their home, Tuesday, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Charlie Nebergall/AP Photo)

Red Cross shares audio clip of Iranian civilian explaining situation on the ground in Tehran: ‘Relentless’

Declan’s unit deployed to Kuwait in September and is scheduled to return home in May, according to his father.

“There was a demand for a role that he could step in and fill, that a new unit was coming in and they didn’t have a lot in that role, and if he would be willing to extend for another nine months,” Andrew Cody said. “So we’ve been discussing it, the pros and cons. He hasn’t made a decision yet.”

He recalled a conversation with his son, where Declan told him that his previous jobs were nothing compared to the love he had for service.

“But one thing he said was, ‘You know, I haven’t had a lot of jobs, but I’ve had jobs in the civilian world.’ And I’ve been here six months and I’m working 12-plus hours a day. ‘I work six to seven days a week,'” Andrew said. “And he says, ‘I love it.'”

This photo submitted by Andrew Cody shows his son, Declan Cody, posing for a photo on his graduation day at the U.S. Army Training Center at Fort Sill, Okla. (Andrew Cody via AP)

GOFUNDME for American soldier killed in Iran war raises more than $94,000

His father explained that Declan could have gone on to attend nearby Drake University — where he was studying information systems, cybersecurity and computer science — and was commissioned as an officer after graduating from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).

However, he decided to redeploy to this unit and continue online lessons in Kuwait.

“He kind of planned it out, and he was adamant, ‘I’m going with my unit,'” Andrew said.

Just a week before the fatal attack, his father said Declan called him to tell him Recommended for upgrade From specialist to sergeant, a rank he obtained posthumously.

The fallen service members have been identified as Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Fla.; And Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa. Two additional soldiers killed in the attack have not yet been identified. (U.S. Army Reserve Command Press Office; Fox News)

The Pentagon identifies four soldiers killed in a drone strike on March 1 during the military operation in Kuwait.

Declan’s sister, Keira Coady, tearfully recalled the day her brother left for Kuwait, showing reporters photos of him with the family pet cat.

“This was in the morning before we dropped him off,” Kira said. “He was our favorite cat, Autumn. She would sit in his room while he played for hours, begging for attention, and he would give it to her. He’s 20. He’ll be 21 in a couple of months.”

Keira Cody talks about her brother, Sgt. Declan Cody, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, outside her home, Tuesday, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Charlie Nebergall/AP Photo)

Keira said that the shock had not subsided yet, explaining: “I still do not fully believe that it is real.”

“I didn’t think it was real when they told us,” Keira said. “I just remember all our conversations about what he was going to do when he got back. And so I’ll sit and think about it. It’s really hard. … I didn’t get the same call this weekend as my dad did and my brother did [with Declan]. “I really wish I could tell him I love you again because it was so sweet.”

She added that her brother was not the type to allow his feelings to show, but she could imagine his fear on the day of the attack.

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

“I can’t help but think it was my little brother, and he was probably really scared even if he didn’t want people to know,” Kira said. “I hope he knows again that we all loved him because he was so wonderful and sweet. … He was like the best little brother you could ever have.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related article