🔴 Website 👉 https://u-s-news.com/
Telegram 👉 https://t.me/usnewscom_channel
OAN Staff Sophia Flores
6:47 PM – Monday, March 9, 2026
Vice President JD Vance has attended the dignified transfer of 26-year-old Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, the seventh U.S. service member who has died amid Operation Epic Fury.
On Monday, Vance was joined by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, President Donald Trump’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Prior to the solemn event in Dover, Delaware, Vance spoke with Pennington’s family.
Pennington, a 26-year-old soldier from Glendale, Kentucky, died on March 8, 2026, from injuries he sustained during an enemy missile and drone attack on March 1st at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade out of Fort Carson, Colorado, Sgt. Pennington was part of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command supporting Operation Epic Fury.
The fatal injuries occurred during a massive coordinated strike by Iranian forces that targeted several U.S. installations across the region. Following his passing, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant, honoring nearly a decade of dedicated service that began when he enlisted in 2017.
Over the weekend, Vance and Trump had also attended the dignified transfer for the six U.S. soldiers who were killed in Kuwait.
Similar to Saturday’s transfer, there was no audio in the video feed out of respect for the fallen service member.
Pennington’s members were also in attendance, but media ground rules strictly prohibited filming or photographing them to protect their privacy and honor their grief.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below