Joni Ernst: “Iowa and our Nation mourn the loss of SGT Declan Coady. A native of West Des Moines, IA, Sergeant Coady served his…”

“Iowa and our Nation mourn the loss of SGT Declan Coady. A native of West Des Moines, IA, Sergeant Coady served his Nation honorably. He represented the best of us, and I am incredibly thankful for his brave and selfless dedication to defending our freedoms and keeping our homeland safe. On March 1, 2026, Sergeant Coady was tragically killed in an Iranian drone strike on an American tactical operations center in Kuwait's Port of Shuaiba, alongside five other servicemembers assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command. Sergeant Coady, just 20 years old, was a sophomore at Drake University. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves upon graduating from high school in 2023 and served as an information technology specialist. Enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program, he could have been exempt from deployment, but loved serving his country so much that he chose to deploy to Kuwait this past August anyway. Through his commitment to our country, Sergeant Coady earned several awards and decorations, including the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon. Sergeant Coady is survived by his sister, two brothers, and father. He was an Eagle Scout, an avid outdoorsman, and an athlete. He cared deeply about his family, who will remember him for his kindness and intelligence. He was a superb student studying cyber security at Drake, with an incredibly bright future ahead of him.”