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Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in Syria return home
The remains of Staff Sgts. Edgar Torres-Tovar and William Howard were flown to Des Moines on Wednesday, then taken to the soldiers’ hometowns
Dec. 24, 2025 2:16 pm, Updated: Dec. 24, 2025 3:59 pm
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DES MOINES — Staff Sgts. Edgar Torres-Tovar and William Howard, the Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed in action Dec. 13 in an attack in Syria, are home.
Torres-Tovar’s and Howard’s remains arrived at the Des Moines International Airport on Wednesday. The Iowa National Guard Honor Guard conducted an honorable transfer to receive the soldiers’ remains from the aircraft.
Torres-Tovar and Howard were transported to Iowa on an Iowa National Guard plane, a KC-135 from the Guard’s 185th Wing in Sioux City. During a private ceremony on the tarmac, on a cloudy and cold Christmas Eve afternoon, their caskets were transported off the plane, where they were greeted by family members.
Family spent a few minutes with the caskets, caressing the American flag draped across them and speaking to them, sometimes through tears. Torres-Tovar’s father saluted his son’s casket before walking away.
The ceremony featured multiple Iowa National Guard members, and was observed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, and Iowa National Guard Command Senior Enlisted Leader Sgt. Maj. Matthew Strasser.
After the ceremony, the caskets were loaded into hearses, which transported them to the soldiers’ respective hometowns.
The soldiers were escorted by fellow Iowa National Guard members throughout their journey home, the Guard said.
The remains of Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, one of the 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 on 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)
Senior Iowa National Guard members 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)
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)
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, 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 Iowa National Guard extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends, and fellow Soldiers of Staff Sgt. Howard and Staff Sgt. Torres-Tovar,” a Guard press release said. “We are grateful for their selfless service and sacrifice in defense of our nation.”
Howard, who was 29, was taken to Marshalltown via a procession that was led by multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.
Howard will be honored with a visitation and funeral services on Saturday in Marshalltown, according to the Iowa National Guard. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is conducting the services.
Torres-Tovar, who was 25, was taken to Des Moines. He will be honored with a visitation on Sunday in Des Moines, followed by funeral services and a burial on Monday, according to the Iowa National Guard. Hamilton Southtown Funeral Home is conducting the services.
Both services are open to the public; media coverage will not be allowed, per the families’ wishes, the Guard said.
Torres-Tovar and Howard were posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant “in recognition of their service and sacrifice,” the Guard said.
Iowa’s first killed in action since 2011
Torres-Tovar and Howard were members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, and were deployed as part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.
They were killed Dec. 13 during a counterterrorism mission near Palmyra, Syria, when a lone gunman believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State opened fire on U.S. and partner forces. A U.S. civilian interpreter was also killed in the attack.
Three other Iowa National Guard members were wounded.
On Saturday, the Iowa National Guard announced that two of the injured soldiers had returned to the United States to begin the next phase of their recovery. They are in stable condition and receiving medical treatment at a dedicated military facility, with their families by their side. The third wounded soldier was treated locally in Syria and has since returned to duty, according to the Guard.
In response to the Dec. 13 attack, the U.S. military has carried out retaliatory airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. In an operation dubbed “Operation Hawkeye Strike” — a reference to the “Hawkeye State” — U.S. and allied forces struck dozens of ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria, using fighter jets, attack helicopters and precision munitions to target infrastructure and weapons storage sites across Syria, according to reporting from the Associated Press and CNN.
U.S. officials said more than 70 targets were hit and that the strikes were intended to disrupt ISIS capabilities and prevent future attacks, calling the campaign a direct response to the killing of American service members and the civilian interpreter. U.S. leaders framed the action not as a broader war but as a mission to eliminate threats to U.S. forces and partners in the region.
The return of the fallen soldiers comes amid an outpouring of tributes from Iowa leaders. Iowa’s congressional delegation has introduced resolutions in the U.S. House and Senate honoring Howard and Torres-Tovar for their service and sacrifice in the global fight against terrorism.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags to be lowered statewide in their honor.
The soldiers’ remains were returned to the United States during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week, attended by President Donald Trump, Reynolds, their families, Iowa officials and national leaders.
The last Iowa National Guard member killed in action before Saturday’s attack was Sgt. 1st Class Terryl L. Pasker of Cedar Rapids, who died in July 2011 while deployed to Afghanistan. Pasker, 39, was killed when an Afghan security officer opened fire on his armored vehicle during a routine checkpoint near a reconstruction site in Panjshir province. He was weeks away from returning home to Iowa at the time of his death.
Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton contributed to this story.
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com
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