Hunter
12/15/25
One of the two Iowa National Guardsmen killed in an attack Saturday in central Syria has been identified as the son of the Meskwaki Nation Police Department Chief.
Jeffrey Bunn confirmed in a Facebook post that his son, Nate Howard, was one of the fatalities.
The two service members, along with a U.S. civilian interpreter, were killed when a lone attacker opened fire near a military post in a region where U.S. and partner forces are conducting counterterrorism operations. Three others were injured.
In a Facebook post, Bunn said he and his wife Misty, quote, “had that visit from Army Commanders you never want to have.” It also said, “Please pray for our Soldiers all around this cruel world.”
Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt said Howard’s death a reminder that military service carries real and ongoing risks.
The other soldier has been identified as 25-year-old Edgar Torrestovar of Grimes.
Two of the wounded soldiers remained in critical but stable condition Saturday and were being treated at a hospital at an air base in Amman, Jordan. A third soldier with lesser injuries was treated and returned to base. The Guard will not release the names of the injured soldiers, according to the department’s policy on “medical privacy.”
In a news release Monday, Maj. Gen. Stephen Osborn, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard called the fallen soldiers “dedicated professionals and cherished members” of the Guard family who “represented the best of Iowa.”
The Gazette reports about 1,800 Iowa National Guard soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, began deploying to the Middle East last summer in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, part of the U.S. mission to advise, assist and enable partner forces in the enduring defeat of ISIS.