The seventh American service member killed in the United States war with Iran has been identified as a 26-year-old soldier from Glendale, Kentucky. Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington died Sunday after being seriously injured during an attack on US troops at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, on March 1, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Pennington, who enlisted in the Army in 2017, was assigned to the 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson, Colorado. He will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant. General Sean A. Gainey, commanding general of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said: 'He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved. That makes him nothing less than a hero, and he will always be remembered that way.'
Vice President JD Vance, speaking to the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington, DC, on Monday morning, said Pennington 'will be coming home tonight' and asked for prayers for the six souls already lost and for the seventh. Pennington was described by his former pastor as a 'quiet person' who was 'steady doing what he needed to do.'
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called Pennington 'a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.' His former automotive tech instructor, Tom Pitt, described him as 'the quintessential all-American' and a Boy Scout who was smart, charismatic, and likable. Pennington graduated from Central Hardin High School in 2017 and enlisted that year as a unit supply specialist.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base of six other US soldiers killed in the war. The six Army Reserve members were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. They were identified as Major Jeffrey O'Brien, 45; Captain Cody Khork, 35; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54; Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, 39; Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, 42; and Sergeant Declan Coady, 20. The group was from the 103rd Sustainment Command, based in Des Moines, Iowa, and died a day after the US and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran on February 28.
Trump said Saturday there will likely be more US casualties in the conflict with Iran, adding: 'I'm sure. I hate to... but it's part of war.' Top administration officials, including Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, also attended the dignified transfer.
