Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, a 39-year-old U.S. Army Reserve soldier from Minnesota, lost her life along with five other service members after a drone strike in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. The attack came as part of Iran’s retaliation after the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked the country on Feb. 28, leading to the death of the country’s then–Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Amor’s husband, Joey Amor, told The Associated Press, “She was almost home. You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.” She was also a mother of two children and was set to reunite with her family in just a few days before the tragedy struck.
Joey also mentioned that the past month had been spent in “constant concern,” adding that “you could see it in the movements. She knew something was coming, she just didn’t know at what scale.”
AP: “Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was just a few days away from coming home to her husband and two children when she was killed…The last month had been a state of ‘constant concern,’ her husband said…Amor was moved off-base to a shipping…
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) March 4, 2026
He further explained, “Amor was moved off-base to a shipping container-style building a week before the drone attack.” According to Joey, the building did not have any defense and “they were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places.”
It was back in 2005 when Amor enlisted in the National Guard. She was then transferred to the Army Reserve the next year and deployed to Kuwait in 2019. Her two children, one son and one daughter, are in senior high school and fourth grade, respectively.
The town of White Bear, from where Amor hailed, is mourning her loss, as Mayor Mary Nicklawske has ordered flags throughout the city to be flown at half-staff on Wednesday. She also issued a statement, saying, “Our community is deeply saddened by the loss of Sergeant Nicole Amor, who gave her life in service to our nation. As a devoted wife, mother and neighbor, her absence will be felt by all who knew her. We also recognize the immense sacrifice her family has made and will continue to make.”
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The statement further added, “Her memory will be honored by our city and never forgotten. Our hearts go out to her loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time, and we stand ready to support them in the days ahead.”
As Amor’s death is being mourned by her family and her community, the U.S.-Iran situation remains tense. President Trump had previously appeared unclear about his plans regarding the country, despite initiating the regime-changing attack. He also gave multiple timelines regarding how long the bombing on America’s part would continue.
As Iran’s retaliatory attacks have already begun claiming U.S. soldiers’ lives, tensions have risen further, with the chances of the war coming to a peaceful end appearing increasingly distant.
