The Pentagon on Monday identified the seventh U.S. service member to have died in the Iran war as 26-year-old Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington.
Pennington, a resident of Glendale, Kentucky, was seriously wounded March 1 during an Iranian strike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
He died on Sunday from his wounds, according to the Defense Department.
Pennington was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade in Fort Carson, Colo. The brigade is part of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
Vice President JD Vance, in a speech at the International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference in Washington, on Monday, said Pennington's remains were expected to be sent to the U.S. later in the day.
"I just want to say that if you are the praying type, and I certainly am, I hope you'll spare a prayer for the six souls that we lost, for the seventh soul who will be coming home tonight, and for all of the families, you all know better than almost any category of Americans what it means to put on a uniform and to sacrifice for our country," Vance said.
"And so I hope you'll share a moment of prayer for our brothers in arms, for your brothers in arms, who keep this country safe in their own way, just as you keep the country safe in your particular way," the vice president said.
The six other U.S. soldiers who have been killed during the war have been identified as: U.S. Army Reserve members Sgt. Declan Coady; Capt. Cody Khork; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens; Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien; and U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan.
