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US military identifies 2 soldiers killed during Iranian strikes in Jordan and 1 killed during drone detonation in Iraq

(CNN) — The Department of Defense on Monday identified two US soldiers who were killed in Iranian strikes in Jordan, and on Tuesday identified another soldier believed to be killed in the Jordan attack and a service member killed in Iraq.

1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed as part of the Friday attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, is believed to have been killed in action during the same Friday attack in Jordan, according to the Pentagon. The soldier was previously listed as missing by US Central Command.

The department on Tuesday identified another service member who was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq. Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on July 19.

Gonzales, of Carrollton, Texas, died Friday, the Defense Department said.

Feehan, who enlisted in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, but whose father told CNN he primarily lived in Georgia, died Saturday.

Feehan’s parents told CNN they are “completely heartbroken and devastated,” adding that their son was set to be married when he returned from deployment.

“We want America and the world to know Tyler lived life to the fullest and accomplished more in his 25 years than most complete in a lifetime,” Stephen and Shari Feehan said.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the attacks in Jordan in a statement on Saturday. The Pentagon said the soldiers who died in Jordan were killed “during an enemy attack.” Other American service members suffered injuries, including four who had to be medically evacuated to a hospital in Jordan but have since been discharged, US Central Command said over the weekend.

The Pentagon said authorities would continue to investigate the attack.

The deaths, initially announced on Saturday, marked the first American casualties resulting from Iranian strikes since March.

Before the Pentagon identified Rampersad, it announced over the weekend that the US located unidentified remains of a missing service member in Jordan. The remains have yet to be conclusively identified, but the military believes it to be Rampersad.

A dignified transfer of the four service members will take place on Wednesday, according to an administration official.

The deaths bring the number of US service members who have died in the nearly five-month war to 18, including the soldier believed to have been killed in Jordan.

Six US Army Reserve soldiers were killed March 1 by a direct Iranian strike on a makeshift operations center at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port. Days later, an Army sergeant died after sustaining injuries during an attack in Saudi Arabia.

On March 12, six service members were killed when a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a refueling aircraft, crashed in western Iraq, though the incident was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.”

A recent lull in fighting had given way to what has more resembled an all-out war over the past week, with the US targeting Iranian railways, roads and tunnels, while Iran has launched attacks against an expanding list of countries in the region.

Despite the attacks, officials held out hope for the possibility of a diplomatic solution over the weekend. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday the US “remains open” to talks, while an official representing Iran said they were similarly open to discussions.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the deaths of the American service members were “a very sad thing.”

“We hate to see it happen,” he told NewsNation. “It’s in service to our country.”

CNN’s Francesca Hoffman contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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Howard president defends university’s unenrollment decisions, says more than 200 students have been re-enrolled

A sign greets people at the entrance to Howard University on June 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- After gaining national attention for unenrolling more than 500 incoming first-year students over missed tuition and financial-aid deadlines, Howard University has reinstated over 200 incoming students, according to the university's interim president.In an interview with Stephanie Ramos on ABC News Live on Wednesday, interim President Wayne A.I. Frederick offered new insight into the university's perspective amid intense backlash from students."We looked at students who were able to give us the documentation we were asking for in the first place, such as evidence of an external scholarship, and also students were able to remit payment, and so we took that into consideration despite the fact that it was late," Frederick said of the decision to re-enroll students."Having said that, we have now reviewed all 502 students, and so most of the decisions, if not all of them, have been made," he continued.Asked if overenrollment was a contributing factor in the university's decision-making, Frederick told ABC News that all students who were unenrolled previously had housing assigned to them and that this was not a matter of "bed capacity."He said the reason for holding students to the payment deadline is that the university wants to avoid putting students in financial situations that would prevent them from finishing their degree, citing Howard's four-year graduation rate at under 70%."We really are trying to do our best to make sure that when students start, they can finish. And this is part of what we must do on the front end because I think having them leave without a degree and with debt is not the right thing as well," Frederick explained.Multiple students who said they were unenrolled spoke with ABC News, saying they do not believe the university communicated with them effectively.Dwayne Irvin, a 19-year-old from Missouri, told ABC News that he was blindsided by Howard's decision to unenroll him. He said he had been communicating with the university's financial aid office about pending outside scholarships and plans to enroll in a payment plan."They told me to wait to enroll into that payment plan until that scholarship has been deposited into my account, so my monthly payments could be cheaper. I said, OK, that makes sense. So I went with that route...A week later, I get the email saying I was out," Irvin said.Frederick expressed a willingness to improve the university's communications but defended Howard's actions."Over 2,200 students, families did exactly what we expected them to do and followed the policies and procedures and met the deadline, which means that I feel that our communication was pretty comprehensive," Frederick said, adding, "We certainly need to recognize that we have to enhance our communications and really support our students even more."Nikiyah Clark, a 17-year-old from Ohio who was set to enroll at Howard as a first-year this fall, said she was told by the university that she was not permitted to re-enroll this year. She said she had missed a tuition payment deadline, but told ABC News that she had only received notice of the deadline the day it was due."I tried to hold back tears as I walked out of the building. I tried to compose myself, but I couldn't. I was so sad. I was very hurt," Clark said, adding "It was a very disheartening situation, considering the fact that I worked so incredibly hard to get to earn my place at the university."Frederick told ABC News that the university will hold enrollment space in next year's class, and transfer and deferral opportunities for unenrolled students."We will still make every attempt to keep those students within the Howard family," he said.Those new enrollment processes have not yet been publicly detailed by Howard.Irvin said he had been told about these options, but will not be re-enrolling. However, the family of Mason Farmer, another student who was unenrolled, told ABC News that the university had told them there was no more space for him to enroll this fall.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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