US military identifies soldier killed disarming a drone in Iraq as a 30-year-old from North Carolina
Jul 21, 2026, 6:57 AM | Updated: 10:12 am
American flags fly above the Lincoln Memorial, Thursday, July 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Credit: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Tuesday identified a soldier who was killed while disarming an Iranian drone in Iraq as a 30-year-old from North Carolina.
The military said it was investigating the death of Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville during a controlled detonation on Sunday at an air base in Irbil in northern Iraq.
Swinton will get a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and be promoted to staff sergeant, the military said in a statement.
Swinton was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on Friday. They were the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.
