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5d ago

Fallen Iowa Guard Soldiers Return to Des Moines for Private Honor Transfer

The return follows a Dec. 13 ambush near Palmyra in Syria that also killed a U.S. interpreter.

The remains of Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, one of two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert, is moved during a dignified transfer at the Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
The remains of Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert, are moved during a dignified transfer at the Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
An Iowa National Guard member salutes as the remains of Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert, are moved during a dignified transfer at the Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, from left, Major General Stephen E. Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Strasser, Command Senior Enlisted Leader, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, salute as the remains of Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, the two Iowa National Guard members killed in an attack in the Syrian desert, are moved during a dignified transfer at the Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Overview

  • An Iowa Air National Guard aircraft brought home Staff Sgts. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and William Nathaniel Howard, 29, for a private honorable transfer at the 132d Wing in Des Moines, with state leaders in attendance.
  • Both soldiers, members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, were posthumously promoted, and fellow Guard members escorted their remains throughout the journey.
  • Processions carried the caskets to funeral homes in Des Moines and Marshalltown as Iowans lined the route to pay respects; Gov. Kim Reynolds previously ordered state flags to half-staff.
  • Funeral plans: Howard’s visitation and funeral are Saturday at Marshalltown High School’s Roundhouse; Torres-Tovar’s visitation is Sunday with funeral and burial Monday in Des Moines, with services open to the public and families requesting no media coverage.
  • The attack was carried out by a lone gunman during a joint U.S.-Syrian field tour near Palmyra, killing interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat and wounding three Iowa soldiers, two of whom returned to the U.S. on Dec. 20 as the administration launched retaliatory strikes last week.