Trump attends ceremony to receive the remains of soldiers killed in the Iran war
US President Donald Trump attended on Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware the ceremony to receive the remains of four members of the US military, returned to the United States in coffins draped with the flag after they were killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East.
The ceremony, known as the “Honorable Transfer” of remains, comes amid growing frustration over Trump’s war with Iran.
The war has cost US taxpayers at least $37.5 billion so far, resulting in the deaths of 18 soldiers, in addition to the deaths of thousands of Iranians.
Lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties have raised questions about the war, which has caused global oil prices to rise and continues without any signs of ending. Trump has presented conflicting war objectives since its start in February. Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, stood at attention near the runway, rendering a military salute as a seven-member honor guard carried each coffin from the plane during the solemn ceremony.
Trump said before leaving to attend the ceremony, “We will honor them. It is one of the hardest tasks for me... but it is necessary.”
When asked what he would say to the families of the fallen, Trump said, “All I will say is, we love you. We love your son.”
US presidents and vice presidents, along with high-ranking officials, usually attend official transfer ceremonies at Dover, home to the largest US military morgue, during times of war or conflicts that result in the deaths of American soldiers.
Three US soldiers, a man and two women, were killed when Iran targeted barracks at Camp Taji air base in Iraq with a missile on Friday.
The deceased are Lieutenant Tyler James Fian (25), Sergeant Angel S. Rambersad (28), and Specialist Isabella Gonzalez (19). All three were from the US Army’s Air and Missile Defense Command.
The fourth, Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton (30), was killed in a separate incident on Sunday in Erbil, Iraq, during a precise drone strike operation. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters, said the number of wounded US soldiers now far exceeds 500.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said on Monday that 100 military personnel were injured since July 7, with 96 percent of them returning to duty.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this month indicated that four out of five Americans expect the war to prolong. Only about 37 percent of poll participants support US military strikes on Iran.
Trump’s approval rating has hovered near its lowest point in his political career since the conflict began. Republican strategists say that rising living costs have offset the political benefits of his tax cuts. High gas prices and concerns over the cost of living pose a political risk for the Republican Party, to which Trump belongs, ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November, during which the party risks losing its majority in the House of Representatives and possibly its control of the Senate.
