The Pentagon on Monday identified 26-year-old Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington as the U.S. service member who died from wounds sustained in an Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia. He is the seventh member of the U.S. armed forces to be killed in the current war by Washington and Israel against the Iranian regime.
According to the Department of Defense, the sergeant was a resident of Glendale, Kentucky, and died on Sunday "from wounds sustained during an enemy attack on March 1, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia." The incident is "under investigation."
Pennington was part of the 1st Space Brigade, based in Fort Carson, Colorado, and was supporting the operation 'Epic Fury,' initiated by the U.S. The U.S. also announced on Sunday that another soldier died in Kuwait "from a health incident" during a "medical emergency" last March 6, though it has not revealed if this death occurred in combat actions.
U.S. President Donald Trump led the ceremony on Saturday for the transfer of the first six bodies and promised to "keep to a minimum" the deaths of his soldiers, but warned that there are always casualties in war. He also assured that he would only send soldiers to the ground for "a very good reason," although the Axios news outlet reported on Sunday that the United States and Israel are considering sending special forces to Iran to seize its enriched uranium reserves.
