WASHINGTON– The US military on Tuesday identified a soldier who died while disarming an Iranian drone in Iraq as a 30-year-old man from North Carolina.

The Army said it was investigating the death of Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville during a controlled detonation Sunday at an air base in Irbil, northern Iraq.

Swinton will receive a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to sergeant major, the Army said in a statement.

He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

“Sergeant Swinton was an experienced NCO who took great pride in his job and the people around him,” said Brig. Gen. John L. Dawber, commanding general of the Army Air and Missile Defense Command. “He answered the call to duty with bravery, honor and selfless dedication.”

Two US Army soldiers were killed in Jordan while fending off Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on Friday. They were the first deaths of American troops by direct Iranian fire since the early days of the war.