(NewsNation) — National Guard Sgt. Nate Howard, 29, was one of the two soldiers killed in a Saturday attack on United States forces in Syria.
“Nate was a dedicated soldier through and through. He wanted to be a soldier from a very young boy to his adulthood,” Jeff Bunn, Howard’s stepfather, told NewsNation. “Nate was a loving husband to his wife Arianna … a great son, an amazing man of faith and is with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Heaven. Nate, his other Soldiers and the Interpreter were heroes doing what they loved for our Country. He had no fear and would be first in, last out and no one left behind.”
Troops were conducting a joint field patrol on Dec. 13 when they came under fire alongside Syrian security forces near the city of Palmyra, the SANA government said in a post on X.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and President Donald Trump have attributed the attack to a gunman tied to ISIS.
Howard, who enlisted when he was 17, had served in the Iowa Army National Guard for 12 years at the rank of sergeant.
Regarding his mission, his stepfather said, “Nate was deployed to the Middle East in May of this year. All of what he was doing he did not share for security reasons. But our son is a true Hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country.”
Howard had a younger brother, who is also deployed to the Middle East. His stepfather said the brother will be escorting Howard’s body home.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that “we will retaliate” after the attack. Howard, another U.S. service member and one civilian were killed in the ambush attack. Several others were injured.