{"id":3582,"date":"2026-07-21T15:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3582"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:07:19","slug":"fayetteville-nc-man-identified-as-u-s-soldier-killed-in-iran-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3582","title":{"rendered":"Fayetteville, NC, man identified as U.S. soldier killed in Iran war"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Fayetteville man and U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command soldier was killed Sunday during the controlled detonation of a drone in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Defense said Tuesday, July 21.<\/p>\n

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Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed while supporting overseas operations at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, the Department of Defense said. The incident is \u201cunder investigation.\u201d National media outlets reported<\/a> Swinton was disarming a downed Iranian drone when he was killed.<\/p>\n

Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command commanding general, said Swinton was killed \u201cduring an operation to safeguard fellow soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis service will not be forgotten, and his sacrifice is not in vain,\u201d Rafferty said. \u201cWe will support Sgt. Swinton\u2019s family and his unit during this difficult period. His loss will inspire his fellow Soldiers to continue the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swinton was stationed at Fort Bragg, assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, the Department of Defense said. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 as an Air Defense Early Warning System Operator.<\/p>\n

During his service, Swinton won seven awards and badges, including an Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal, the Department of Defense said. He will posthumously receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and be promoted to staff sergeant.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSgt. Swinton was an experienced noncommissioned officer who took great pride in his work and the people around him,\u201d Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, Army Air and Missile Defense Command commanding general, said. \u201cHe answered the call to duty with courage, honor, and selfless dedication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swinton\u2019s wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, posted Sunday on Facebook<\/a> that she was informed that morning that Swinton was killed in Iraq. She posted a tribute video Tuesday<\/a> with moments she, Swinton and their kids shared with each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think this would be the last time I ever saw you,\u201d Gonzalez-Swinton wrote Sunday. \u201cI have no words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swinton\u2019s death comes amid the U.S.-Iran trading attacks as the ceasefire between the two countries collapses. The Department of Defense announced Monday<\/a> that another Fort Bragg soldier, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, was killed in Jordan during an \u201cenemy attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 21, 2026 at 11:04 AM<\/span> with the headline “Fayetteville, NC, man identified as U.S. soldier killed in Iran war.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sgt. Michael E. Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville NC and Fort Bragg, was killed during a detonation of a drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, Defense Department said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nFayetteville, NC, man identified as U.S. soldier killed in Iran war - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3582\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fayetteville, NC, man identified as U.S. soldier killed in Iran war - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sgt. 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