Kentucky soldier in Saudi Arabia is 7th U.S. casualty to die in Iran war

Source: AP

By ALLEN G. BREED and DYLAN LOVAN
Updated 1:43 PM CDT, March 9, 2026
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ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who joined the Army straight out of high school is the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the Iran war, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.

Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he’d known Pennington since he was a toddler and got a call from Pennington’s father when the soldier was hurt.

“I talked to Tim Saturday morning, and he was doing a little better, and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said. But he said Tim Pennington called again that evening to ask for prayers as his son’s condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-us-military-soldier-died-40535c69cd3b8451e0926e808c3df43c