A U.S. Army Reserve soldier killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait was just days away from returning home to her husband and two children, according to her grieving family.
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, was among six American service members killed in the attack on Port Shuaiba on Sunday. The tragedy struck shortly before she was expected to reunite with her family after her deployment.
Her husband, Joey Amor, shared the heartbreak of learning that someone who had been so close to returning home would never make that journey.
“She was almost home,” he said Tuesday. The loss has left the family struggling to process how quickly plans for reunion turned into devastating news.
In the hours leading up to the attack, Joey Amor said he had been texting with his wife. Their last exchange centered on a small incident the night before, when she had tripped and fallen.
The conversation ended abruptly. “She just never responded in the morning,” he said. The drone strike happened only hours after what would become their final exchange.
The attack occurred a day after the United States and Israel carried out Operation Epic Fury strikes against Iran.
A life of service and family
Sgt. 1st Class Amor served with the Army Reserve’s 103rd Sustainment Command, where she worked in logistics helping ensure troops received essential supplies such as food and equipment.
She first enlisted in the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist before transferring to the Army Reserve in 2006. During her military career, she had previously deployed to Kuwait and Iraq.
Outside of her military duties, Amor was known by family as someone who enjoyed spending time at home. She loved gardening and often made homemade salsa using vegetables grown in her garden with her son, who is a senior in high school. She also spent time rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.
According to her husband, about a week before the attack she had been relocated off base to a shipping container-style building that lacked defensive protections.
“They were dispersing because they were in fear that the base they were on was going to get attacked and they felt it was safer in smaller groups in separate places,” Joey Amor said.
Sgt. 1st Class Amor was one of six U.S. service members killed in the strike. Others identified include Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. Two additional names had not yet been released by the Pentagon.
