The Pentagon has identified the seventh soldier to have died in combat in the ongoing Iran war as from Kentucky.
Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale in Hardin County “died of his wounds” Sunday as a result of injuries he sustained during an Iranian attack at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia amid Operation Epic Fury, according to a Pentagon release Monday.
The release states Pennington was assigned to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, serving in the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade in Fort Carson, Colorado.
Elected officials across Kentucky expressed their condolences and admiration for Pennington’s service Monday morning.
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a Facebook post asked for prayers for Pennington’s family and said Pennington is “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell issued a statement saying, “Sgt. Pennington’s death is an awful reminder of the costs of Tehran’s decades-long war against American servicemembers. A grateful nation honors his life and his service to our country as he paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending American freedom.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, who represents the Second Congressional District including Glendale, in a post on X asked for prayers and said “our nation is forever grateful for Sgt. Pennington’s sacrifice.”
The Pentagon also recently announced that 46-year-old Maj. Sorffly Davius of Cambria Heights, Queens, New York died Friday from a “non-combat related incident” at Camp Buehring in Kuwait. The Pentagon release stated he was a part of the New York Army National Guard and was assigned to the Headquarters, Headquarters Battalion, 42nd Infantry Division in Troy, New York.
The Pentagon has previously also identified six other U.S. soldiers who have died in action in the Iranian conflict. Those deaths include:
- 54-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Robert M. Marzan.
- 45-year-old Maj. Jeffrey R O’Brien.
- 35-year-old Capt. Cody Khork.
- 42-year-old Sgt. Noah Tietjens.
- 39-year-old Sgt. Nicole Amor.
- 20-year-old Sgt. Declan Coady.
This story may be updated.
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Liam Niemeyer covers government and policy in Kentucky and its impacts throughout the Commonwealth for the Kentucky Lantern. He most recently spent four years reporting award-winning stories for WKMS Public Radio in Murray.
