The widower of a U.S. soldier killed during the opening salvos of the Iran war has revealed the desperate final text he sent her.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, a 39-year-old from Minnesota, was one of six U.S. Army Reservists who died on March 1, when an Iranian drone struck a U.S. military installation on the coast of Kuwait.
The group — assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa — had been supporting Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel unleashed a surprise assault on Iran.
Nicole Amor’s husband, Joe Amor, told CBS News that he grew worried after hearing on the news that an explosion had hit a U.S. outpost in Kuwait.
“When I heard it was a sustainment unit based out of Kuwait, I know enough about what's going on over there to know there were very few left over there, I knew it was her unit,” Joey Amor said.
“I sent her a text and I said, ‘I'm getting worried. I'm getting worried. We're getting reports of a sustainment unit, three casualties, five injured, I'm gonna need to hear something from you today, my love,’” he said.
Less than two hours later, Joey Amor learned that his wife had been killed.
“And I don't know how to explain that to you, I don't know how to explain knowing before you know, and then to be told what you already know, after not being able to see your person for that long," he told the outlet. "I can't put that into words. That was painful.”
Born in 1986, Nicole Amor was a resident of White Bear Lake, located in southeast Minnesota. In addition to being a soldier and wife, she was a mother of two and avid gardener, according to her obituary.
“Nicole was a rare and special light in this world, and she will be missed more than words can ever explain,” it states. “She loved with all of her heart, and she always knew exactly when to throw that perfectly timed sarcastic remark your way.”
She had known Joey Amor for over two decades. The pair met while serving at an Army base in Virginia, and they married in 2015.
Joey Amor departed the service in 2012, but his wife was firmly committed to staying. Her service "grew into a sense of duty and a sense of responsibility, a sense of pride," he told CBS News.
When she deployed overseas in July, Nicole told her husband: “I’ll see you soon.” She was only days away from returning to the U.S. when she was killed.
Joey Amor and their two children are now Gold Star families, the immediate relatives of service members who died while serving in active duty.
“It is a community of people that have felt what we are feeling right now, and that are still feeling this every day," he said. "And it's a group of families that you respect and that we all honor as the nation, but we never truly understand the weight unless you're a part of it.”
On March 7, a dignified transfer of the remains of the six Army Reservists killed in Kuwait was held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. It was attended by President Donald Trump, who saluted as flag-draped caskets were carried past.
Nicole Amor’s memorial service was held last week in Minnesota. Hundreds of people flanked the roads in White Bear Lake to offer their respects as her funeral procession passed by, according to MPR.
“It was an honor to be there today,” Sen. Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, said in a statement. “She served our country with distinction and is gone too soon. Her memory will live on in all those who loved her. A tragic loss and very sad day.”
Joe Amor plans to build a greenhouse as a living memorial to his late wife in honor of her love of gardening.
"It was a calming place for her," he told CBS News. “It's going to be an honor, it's going to be a joy, it's going to be wonderful.”
The Iran War has now stretched on for more than three weeks. Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed, and more than 200 have been wounded. Multiple recent polls show a majority of Americans are opposed to the conflict.
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