WASHINGTON — While it was Wednesday night in South Florida, it was early Thursday morning in Israel, and Iran continued firing missiles for the sixth day.
Earlier, as the war raged and Democrats and Republicans argued about it in Congress, the Pentagon released a complete list of the U.S. soldiers killed in action in Kuwait.
The two U.S. Army soldiers identified on Wednesday were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; and Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa. They were both assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa.
The four identified on Tuesday were Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.
Related story: More about 6 US soldiers who died in Kuwait
U.S. service members “remain in harm’s way, and we must be clear-eyed that the risk is still high,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday during a news conference at the Pentagon.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump plans to attend the dignified transfers of the soldiers when they arrive in the U.S.
At the Pentagon on Wednesday, Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that more U.S. forces were arriving in the Middle East, including jet fighters and bombers. He was uncertain about the length of the Iran war.
“You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three,” Hegseth said. “Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we’re going to keep them off balance.”
Caine said Iran’s firing of ballistic missiles had decreased by 86% and one-way drone attacks had decreased by 73%. A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
Related story: More about what Hegseth said
In Congress, U.S. Senate Republicans stopped the war powers resolution to force Trump to get congressional approval to continue attacks in Iran.
The vote was 47-53, and Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, and Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, were the only ones who didn’t vote along party lines.
“Today every senator, every single one, will pick a side,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor of the Senate.
Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa who served as an officer in the Iowa National Guard for two decades, stood against the war powers resolution.
“Now is our opportunity to bring an end to the decades of chaos,” Ernst said. “The sooner the better.”
The House is set to vote on Thursday. During a news conference on Wednesday, Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, was among a group of Democratic U.S. military veterans who spoke about the human cost.
“I learned when I was fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, that when elites in Washington bang the war drums, pound their chest, talk about the costs of war, and act tough, they are not talking about them doing it,” Crow said. “They are not talking about their kids. They are talking about working-class kids like us.”
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