The Pentagon announced Jan. 19 that SrA. Omar J. McKnight, 22, of Marrero, La., died Jan. 17 in a non-hostile incident in Iraq. McKnight deployed to Joint Base Balad from the 6th Security Forces Squadron at MacDill AFB, Fla. There was no further information available.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.