Deepest Condolences on the Passing of the Following Seven Members of the United States Military Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, Sergeant Declan Coady, Captain Cody Khork, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, Major Jeffrey O'brien, Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan

WHEREAS, Recently, seven brave members of the United States military were killed amid the ongoing United States war with Iran; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor was a resident of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. She enlisted in the National Guard in 2005 and served as an automated logistics specialist, and subsequently transferred to the United States Army Reserve in 2006. Sergeant Amor served our nation with honor and distinction during deployments to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Declan Coady was a twenty-year-old resident of Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 2023, serving as an information technology specialist. Sergeant Coady was a bright and energetic young man who was simultaneously studying information systems, cybersecurity, and computer science at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and was attending online classes while serving in Kuwait; and

WHEREAS, Captain Cody Khork was a resident of Winter Haven, Florida. He enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a Fire Direction Specialist. Captain Khork was commissioned to serve as a Military Police Officer in the United States Army Reserve in 2014 and served our nation with honor and distinction during deployments to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantanamo Bay in 2021, and Poland in 2024. Captain Khork, in recognition of his outstanding service to our nation, was awarded with numerous commendations, including the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Korea Defense Service Medal; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens was a resident of Bellevue, Nebraska, who enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 2006, serving as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. Sergeant Tietjens served our nation with honor and distinction during deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. Sergeant Tietjens came from a military family, was a devoted husband and father, and held a black belt in Philippine Combatives and taekwondo. He also taught martial arts in a studio in Bellevue; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington of Glendale, Kentucky, joined the United States Army after high school. Sergeant Pennington was assigned to the st Space Battalion, st Space Brigade of the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command. His unit's mission was focused on missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications; and

WHEREAS, Major Jeffrey O'Brien from Waukee, Iowa, was commissioned as a Signal Corps Officer in 2012, in the United States Army Reserve. He served our nation with honor and distinction when he deployed to Kuwait in 2019, and had received multiple awards and decorations in recognition of his outstanding service to our nation; and

WHEREAS, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, of the United States Army Reserve, was from Sacramento, California. Robert Marzan was a military veteran with more than thirty years of exemplary service to our nation and was in his final two months of his deployment. Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan was a devoted husband and father who leaves behind his beloved wife, Tina and daughter, Felicia; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of the following seven members of the United States military: Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, Sergeant Declan Coady, Captain Cody Khork, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, Major Jeffrey O'Brien, Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, including any other service member killed in the deployment in Kuwait; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the families of Sergeant First Class Nicole Amor, Sergeant Declan Coady, Captain Cody Khork, Sergeant First Class Noah Tietjens, Major Jeffrey O'Brien, Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan.