The two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed in Syria earlier this month are back in Iowa, where their families are preparing for funeral services scheduled for the coming days.
The remains of Staff Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar arrived at the Iowa Air National Guard base in Des Moines in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve.
Torres-Tovar, 25, from Des Moines and Howard, 29, from Marshalltown were shot and killed by a lone ISIS gunman while deployed in Palmyra, Syria. The soldiers were posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.
They are the first Iowa National Guard soldiers to be killed in action since 2011.
As part of a solemn honorable transfer, fellow Guard members carried their flag-draped caskets off the KC-135 from the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City that transported them from Dover Air Force Base.
Gov. Kim Reynolds, Sen. Joni Ernst and U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn observed them while standing in line with leaders from the Iowa National Guard .
Then, family members were given a moment to approach the caskets.
It was the first time Howard and Torres-Tovar’s families had been near them since their remains arrived back to the U.S. from overseas. Their families held each other, wiped away tears and leaned over to embrace the caskets that held their loved ones.
Howard and Torres-Tovar’s caskets were placed in hearses for processions to Marshalltown and across south Des Moines. But before they departed, their fellow Guard members offered one more salute.
The State Patrol and Des Moines Police Department escorted the soldiers' processions off the air base. They were met by Iowans who stood along the streets to greet them.
Funeral services are planned for this weekend. A visitation and funeral for Howard will take place on Saturday in Marshalltown at Mitchell Family Funeral Home.
Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home in Des Moines is arranging a visitation for Torres-Tovar for Sunday followed by a funeral and burial on Monday.
According to the Iowa National Guard, the services are open to the public.
A civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, was also killed in the attack that claimed the lives of the Guard soldiers. Three other Iowa Guard members were injured. Two are back in U.S. for further treatment and are in stable condition, according to the Guard. The third soldier was treated in Syria and returned to duty.
