{"id":2836,"date":"2026-07-21T18:03:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2836"},"modified":"2026-07-21T18:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:03:47","slug":"us-soldier-killed-in-iraq-was-a-30-year-old-father-from-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2836","title":{"rendered":"US soldier killed in Iraq was a 30-year-old father from North Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
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By ALLEN G. BREED and DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) \u2014 A U.S. soldier killed in Iraq during a\u00a0controlled detonation of an Iranian drone\u00a0was a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade, according to a military statement Tuesday and his family.<\/p>\n

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Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. The Army said it was investigating the circumstances of his death Sunday at an air base in Irbil.<\/p>\n

He leaves behind a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, his mother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never recover from this,\u201d his wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, posted Monday on Facebook. \u201cWe had so many plans for when you got back, I\u2019m sick to my stomach.\u201d She said she was notified Sunday that he had been killed.<\/p>\n

Two U.S. Army soldiers were also killed in Jordan last week while defending against\u00a0Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. They were the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.<\/p>\n

His wife and kids were the center of his world, his mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched, the laughter he shared, the strength he gave others, and the unconditional love he poured into his family,\u201d she said via text message. \u201cHe will forever be missed, forever honored, and forever our hero.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Swinton enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

He lived in Spring Lake, a popular off-base location for Fort Bragg families, according to pubic records. The military gave his hometown as Fayetteville, another nearby community.<\/p>\n

\u201cSgt. Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him,\u201d said Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the Army Air and Missile Defense Command. \u201cHe answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran\u00a0is now in its 10th day, with both sides launching barrages of strikes. Iran has attacked U.S. allies in the region, and American soldiers are stationed across the Middle East.<\/p>\n

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The Defense Department identified\u00a0the soldiers killed in Jordan\u00a0as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. They were also with Army Air and Missile Defense Command units.<\/p>\n

A third service member was reported missing after the attack. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said \u201cunidentified remains\u201d have been found and were being examined.<\/p>\n

Iranian authorities say U.S. strikes in just the past three weeks have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500 others.<\/p>\n

Both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people. Workers on ships, as well as foreign workers and others in Gulf nations, Israel and Lebanon have also died in the conflict.<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department said in a new warning to Americans that \u201cIran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Trump, a Republican, now faces political pressure to bring the war to a close and avoid the kind of prolonged Middle East conflict he had campaigned against. The escalation has pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Swinton Andujar said her son was the kind of person who could light up a room with his humor and contagious laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichael had a remarkable ability to excel at whatever he set his mind to,\u201d she said. \u201cHe knew when it was time to laugh and when it was time to be serious. Whether serving his country, supporting his family, or helping a friend, he gave his whole heart and expected nothing in return.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Interstate 70 closed near Glenwood Springs for mudslides<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. military has identified a soldier killed while disarming an Iranian drone in Iraq as Sgt. 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