Key facts
- Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq.
- The incident took place on Saturday at Erbil airbase in northern Iraq.
- Swinton was supporting overseas contingency operations and was assigned to the army’s air and missile defense command.
- Two other U.S. soldiers were killed in Jordan on Friday while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.
- The U.S. military identified Sgt. Swinton on Tuesday morning.
The U.S. military has identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina, as the soldier killed during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq. The incident occurred on Saturday at Erbil airbase in northern Iraq while Swinton was supporting overseas contingency operations. He was assigned to the army’s air and missile defense command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, having enlisted in 2017. Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, described Swinton as an experienced noncommissioned officer who served with courage and dedication. This incident follows the deaths of two other U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Friday, who were defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. The latest deaths bring the total number of U.S. service personnel killed in the ongoing war to 17, with hundreds injured.