Four American service members killed in Operation Epic Fury returned to U.S. soil on July 22 in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, as the nation’s human cost in the ongoing conflict with Iran climbed to 18 military deaths since fighting began on February 28.
President Donald Trump attended the ceremony alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other administration officials, saluting the caskets as each fallen service member was received. “It’s one of the hardest things to do as a president,” Trump said, as quoted by The New York Times, before adding, “It has to be done.” The four service members returned that day were Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii; Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas; Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of New York; and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina.
Strangers at Raleigh-Durham Airport Pause to Honor Maj. Alexander Davis
Separate from the Dover ceremony, a quiet moment of collective tribute unfolded inside Raleigh-Durham International Airport as the remains of Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, were returned to North Carolina. Davis was one of eight service members killed on June 15 in a B-52 Stratofortress crash at Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California. As his remains were transferred to a hearse outside, bagpipes played “Amazing Grace.” Inside the terminal, travelers waiting for their flights stood in silence to honor him.
Trump Honors the Feehan Family at Wheeler High School Rally
After the Dover transfer, Trump learned that the family of Lt. Tyler James Feehan was traveling to the Atlanta area — the same destination as Air Force One that afternoon. He invited the family aboard for the flight, and they attended his rally at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, where Trump’s remarks centered largely on the Trump Accounts initiative and the 7 million children already enrolled in it. He paused, however, to recognize the Feehans directly. “This was a son who was like a flawless, perfect person … Brilliant, respected by everybody,” Trump said. “He was a person that was going all the way — he was going to be a general, he would’ve been a general very quickly, he was heading in that path.” Trump then pointed toward the sky as the Wheeler High audience rose in applause for the family.
Absolute heart-wrenching moment from today’s Trump Rally.
Trump honored family of fallen hero 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan and the entire stadium stood and cheered in support.
The President even gave them a ride home on Air Force One after the dignified transfer.
Prayers up for them…
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 23, 2026
The day before the transfer, Trump had posted to Truth Social a breakdown of American casualties across recent conflicts, noting the 18 deaths in the Iran conflict since February 28, as well as the military invasion of Venezuela on January 3 — an operation that resulted in no fatalities but did produce one Medal of Honor recipient who sustained significant injuries during the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. With the conflict with Iran still active, the grief on display July 22 — from Dover to Georgia to a North Carolina airport terminal — underscores the mounting personal toll the war continues to impose on American military families.
