The family of fallen soldier Sgt. Declan J. Coady has released a statement following his death at Shuaiba port in Kuwait, calling him \u201ca rock in all of our lives\u201d and \u201cthe most amazing brother and son my family could have asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coady was among six American troops killed in the opening hours of the war with Iran. All soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit based in Des Moines, Iowa.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Sunday, March 1, after trying to check in, we heard nothing. Trying to be positive we all assumed he was just in a situation where he couldn\u2019t message back, but we all knew something was wrong,\u201d Declan Coady\u2019s sister, Kiera, said in the statement. \u201cAt 8 p.m. as we all were getting ready to go to bed, the doorbell rang, and the rest of that night will forever be one of the worst nights of our lives. While it\u2019s all blurry, we all knew what the doorbell meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coady, along with five other American soldiers, died in the same attack at Shuaiba port in Kuwait, a commercial harbor that doubles as a logistics hub through which the U.S. military ships tactical vehicles and supplies into the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs his older sister, I can\u2019t quite comprehend it even now, but the only thing I can think is that I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him,\u201d Kiera said. \u201cI wish that I had been able to be there or trade places with him or anything just so he could have known he was safe and that we loved him and he didn\u2019t need to be scared \u2026 He was supposed to be 21 on May 5. He was just a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"PHOTO:](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ee5159c3-7893-4983-b059-51301483d3b3\/coady-flag_1772633235816_hpMain_square.jpg?w=375 "\\"DES")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa poses in an undated photograph in his uniform. Coady was killed March 1, 2026, at the Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait during a drone attack.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n U.S. Army Reserve\/via Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Kiera said that he died on the way to the hospital after sustaining injuries in the attack. Coady, who was posthumously promoted from specialist, enlisted in the Army in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say anything because those that don\u2019t know him will just know him as another person that died in combat and their lives will go on,\u201d Kiera said. \u201cHowever, for my family, my parents lost a son, and me and my siblings lost a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiera said she tried calling him when she found out, hoping that it was all \u201can awful dream and maybe I would hear his voice telling us he was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut there was nothing, not even a voicemail,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I could think of words beyond that he was smart and kind and amazing, but even if I were to throw in other words it still wouldn\u2019t quite capture his spirit,\u201d Kiera said. \u201cHe was truly a rock in all of our lives and was just the most amazing brother and son my family could have asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n