U.S. Central Command on Sunday announced the seventh service member to pass away in Operation Epic Fury. “Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East. The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1,” U.S. Central Command stated. “This is the seventh service member killed in action during Operation Epic Fury. Major combat operations continue. The identity of the fallen warrior will be withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” it added. CENTCOM Update TAMPA, Fla. – Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East. The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia… — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 8, 2026 NewsNation shared further: Six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers were also killed by an Iranian drone strike on a makeshift operations center in Kuwait last Sunday: Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, Capt. Cody Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens and Sgt. Declan Coady. The bodies of those six were brought home to the U.S. in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday. U.S. military officials also stated a National Guard soldier died in a health-related incident in Kuwait on March 6 during a medical emergency. “The Iranian regime is growing increasingly desperate, deliberately positioning missile and drone launchers in densely populated civilian neighborhoods, near distribution centers, and inside residential areas. This is a blatant and intentional tactic: using innocent Iranian civilians as human shields. We’ve seen this cowardly strategy before—it’s no accident,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman & Senior Advisor to the Secretary of War Sean Parnell said. “At the same time, the regime is launching indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets across the Gulf: striking neighborhoods, hotels, international airports, and critical infrastructure, endangering thousands of innocents. Unlike Iran, the United States never targets civilians, and we will continue to act with precision, targeting only those who threaten us and our allies, and we will not relent,” he continued. The Iranian regime is growing increasingly desperate, deliberately positioning missile and drone launchers in densely populated civilian neighborhoods, near distribution centers, and inside residential areas. This is a blatant and intentional tactic: using innocent Iranian… — Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) March 8, 2026 On Monday, the U.S. military identified the deceased service member as Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky. The Defense Department has identified the seventh service member killed in Iranian attacks as Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky. Pennington was wounded in a March 1 attack on his base in Saudi Arabia and died from his injuries on Sunday. He was stationed… pic.twitter.com/7jvLkrD836 — Clash Report (@clashreport) March 9, 2026 CNN has more: That strike, which came without warning, occurred on a makeshift operations center at the civilian port of Shuaiba in Kuwait on March 1. All six soldiers were assigned with the 103rd Sustainment Command, an Army Reserve unit out of Iowa. The president told ABC on Sunday that meeting with the families of the six troops did not give him pause about the war. “The parents would be upset if I did that,” he said. “The parents said to me, every one of them, ‘Please sir, win this for my boy,’ and in one case a young woman, as you know. ‘Please, win this for my child.’” The president has previously said there will likely be more US casualties in the Iran war. Asked Saturday whether he thought he would have to attend more dignified transfers, Trump said, “I’m sure. I hate to … but it’s a part of war.”