U.S. military identifies soldier killed disarming a drone in Iraq as a 30-year-old from North Carolina

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on Sunday while disarming an Iranian drone at an air base in Irbil, Iraq.¹²³⁴

The military is investigating the incident, which occurred during a controlled detonation.

Swinton, who enlisted in the Army in 2017, was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.⁷

He will posthumously receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge, and be promoted to staff sergeant.

His wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, expressed her grief on social media, stating, “I will never recover from this, you should be home. We had so many plans for when you got back, I’m sick to my stomach,” highlighting the personal loss felt by his family.⁵⁶

Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the Army Air and Missile Defense Command, praised Swinton, saying, “Sgt. Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him. He answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication.”⁸

This incident comes amid heightened tensions, as two U.S. Army soldiers were also killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian attacks, marking the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the war's early days.