IA SR101

Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar of the Iowa Army National Guard's 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment were killed in an enemy attack on December 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria.

Approximately 1,800 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division deployed to the Middle East in May 2025 as part of a coalition fighting ISIS, with up to 250 serving in Syria.

Howard served 11 years in the Iowa Army National Guard after graduating from Marshalltown High School in 2014; Torres-Tovar served 6 years after graduating from Dowling Catholic High School in 2019, including deployments to Kosovo and Kuwait.

Both soldiers were posthumously promoted to staff sergeant in recognition of their sacrifice; three additional Iowa National Guard soldiers were wounded in the same attack.

The Senate directs copies of the resolution be sent to the families of both fallen soldiers in recognition of their service and sacrifice.