Trump pays tribute to 4 fallen service members killed in Middle East at dignified transfer

Sgt. Angel Rampersad, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday paid tribute at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to four members of the U.S. military who were killed in the Middle East. The president was joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

The bodies of the four soldiers were returned to U.S. soil at a dignified transfer ceremony. Trump and Hegseth both saluted the fallen soldiers as their caskets were carried from a military jet into a hearse. 

Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, were all killed when Iran attacked the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in northern Iran during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone. 

Trump met with the families of the four fallen soldiers ahead of the ceremony, according to USA Today. "They’re indeed great heroes," Trump told a gathering of reporters before he headed to Dover. "All of them said, very strongly, that we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, so we’re going to honor them."

After the dignified transfer, family members of Tyler James Feehan traveled with Trump on Air Force One to Georgia, USA Today reported, where he gave a speech about the newly-introduced Trump accounts. Feehan's family members live in Georgia and the president brought them to his speaking event, and publicly recognized them during his remarks. "It's an honor to have you here today," Trump told them.

Trump said honoring fallen soldiers when their bodies are returned to U.S. soil is "one of the hardest things you have to do as president." Below, watch a portion of the dignified transfer ceremony (note that the video contains no audio.)