WASHINGTON (WDNews) — According to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Department of War, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died July 19 at Erbil Air Base in Iraq following an incident during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Officials said the incident remains under investigation.
Swinton was assigned to the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.
Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said Swinton “lost his life while working to protect fellow soldiers.”
The announcement comes as U.S. military officials continue to report casualties related to recent attacks and operations involving Iran in the Middle East. Earlier official statements also confirmed the deaths of two U.S. service members in Jordan following an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
