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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds returns from trip visiting Iowa troops in the Middle East
The trip comes less than six weeks after two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in Syria
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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, the Iowa National Guard Adjutant General, concluded a five-day visit to the Middle East this week, focused on visiting Iowa soldiers and airmen to recognize their service after two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in action last month.
The trip included visits to Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
During the trip, Reynolds and Osborn met with Iowa soldiers and airmen deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. There are 1,800 Iowa National Guard members deployed throughout the region.
On Dec. 13, Staff Sgts. Edgar Torres-Tovar, of Des Moines, and William Howard, of Marshalltown, were killed during a counterterrorism mission near Palmyra, Syria, when a lone gunman believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group opened fire on U.S. and partner forces. A U.S. civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, was also killed in the attack.
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.
Reynolds, who honored Torres-Tovar and Howard during her annual Condition of the State address Jan. 13, emphasized “Iowa pride, service before self, and the enduring connection between deployed Guard members, their families, and communities back home,” during the trip, according to her office.
“It was an honor to visit our deployed Soldiers and Airmen in the Middle East and personally thank them for their service on behalf of a grateful state,” Reynolds said in a statement. “I am incredibly impressed and proud of the Iowa National Guard’s vital contributions to this global mission.”
Osborn also honored Torres-Tovar and Howard during his Condition of the Guard Address at the Iowa Capitol Jan. 15.
“Seeing our Soldiers and Airmen reinforces why this mission matters,” Osborn said in a news release Friday. “Across the region, they are executing with professionalism, precision, and purpose. Their dedication — often far from home — demonstrates the very best of our force and the critical role we play in protecting regional stability and our national security.”
Reynolds presented the Purple Heart to an Iowa soldier wounded in the December attack during the delegation’s first stop, at Al Tanf Garrison, Syria, where they met members of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment.
In Jordan, Reynolds and Osborn visited a deployed medical team from the 185th Air Refueling Wing, who treated combat casualties after the Dec. 13 attack. This included Lt. Col. Paul Niles, who was recognized by the governor during her Condition of the State address.
After that, the delegation stayed overnight in Erbil, Iraq, where they received briefings from soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division on accomplishments and operations within the Combined Joint Area of Operations. While there, Reynolds also reenlisted an Iowa soldier.
The delegation ended the trip with visits to Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Buehring, Kuwait. At Ali Al Salem, Detachment 6 of the 641st Operational Support Airlift Command, a small unit of Army fixed-wing aviators, briefed the Reynolds and Osborn on their mission.
A group of individually deployed airmen from the 185th Air Refueling Wing also met with the delegation to discuss their roles supporting air operations.
At Camp Buehring, Reynolds and Osborn visited soldiers from the 334th Brigade Support Battalion and 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery.
Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy contributed to this report.
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