North Carolina soldier killed destroying drone in Iraq, Pentagon says
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton died at Erbil Air Base during a controlled blast of a downed attack drone, according to U.S. officials.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
A 30-year-old soldier from Fayetteville, North Carolina, died at Erbil Air Base in Iraq during a controlled blast meant to destroy an attack drone, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The Defense Department identified him as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton and said he was killed in action while the drone was being detonated at the base in northern Iraq. The incident is under investigation, according to U.S. officials.
U.S. Central Command described the device in a Sunday bulletin as a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. The Pentagon statement identifying Swinton did not say the drone was Iranian.
There was also a date discrepancy in the official accounts. The U.S. military said Swinton was killed Sunday, while CENTCOM’s bulletin said he died Saturday.
A second service member was hurt
CENTCOM said another U.S. service member was wounded in the same incident and received treatment for what it called a minor injury.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters Sunday, said the troops “were decommissioning ammunition and an accident happened in that process and they were harmed.” Rubio did not provide more details.
Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. The unit is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to the Pentagon.
Casualties mount across the region
Swinton’s death came as U.S. forces have taken casualties in several countries during renewed fighting between the United States and Iran.
On Monday, the Pentagon identified two soldiers killed in an Iranian attack on an air base in southern Jordan, CBS News reported. They were 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.
Feehan was killed Saturday and Gonzales was killed Friday, according to the Pentagon. Both were stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
A third soldier based in Jordan has been listed as missing in action since Friday’s Iranian attack. Remains were recovered after the strike, but they had not yet been identified, CBS News reported.
U.S. officials told CBS News that nearly 100 American service members have been injured in multiple Iranian attacks on bases across the Middle East this month.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the figures to CBS News, saying almost 100 people “were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7, 2026,” and that 96% had returned to duty.
“They are determined to get back in the fight. The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions,” Parnell said.
U.S. and Iran trade strikes
The rise in U.S. casualties follows the collapse of a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, CBS News reported.
The U.S. military has carried out strikes on Iranian targets for 10 straight nights, saying the campaign is aimed at stopping Iran from attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has answered with strikes on U.S. assets in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and other U.S.-allied states in the region, as well as attacks on vessels in the strait, according to CBS News.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.