A fundraiser has been launched to honor a slain soldier from White Bear Lake, Minn., who was killed last weekend while serving overseas.
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, was killed in action during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, along with five additional soldiers who were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command at Des Moines, Iowa. The soldiers died March 1 in Kuwait at Port Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack, the U.S. Army Reserve Command said.
The other soldiers killed in the attack were Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.; Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa; and Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa.
Additionally, the Department of War said it is believed that Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif., was also killed.
“To the families and teammates of these Cactus Nation Soldiers: you have my deepest sympathy and my respect,” Maj. Gen. Todd Erskine, Commanding General, 79th Theater Sustainment Command, said in a press release. “Our nation is kept safe by folks like these— brave men and women who put it all on the line every single day. They represent the heart of America. We will remember their names, their service, and their sacrifice.”
Amor enlisted in the National Guard as an Automated Logistics Specialist in 2005. She transferred to the Army Reserve in 2006 and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019.
A press release from the U.S. Army Reserve Command shared that Amor was a decorated soldier.
Her medals included the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with ‘M’ Device.
The fundraiser was started shortly after Amor’s death to honor her and her legacy.
“Nicole was an amazing soldier, but more than that she was an amazing wife, mother, and friend. The world is dimmer without her light in it, but her love and the impact she made will live on in all of us,” Amor’s husband Joey said about her in the GoFundMe.
The fundraiser will be used to build a memorial greenhouse in Amor’s honor. “Nicole loved gardening. It was where she found peace and joy. In honor of her, her husband would like to build a greenhouse at their home — a place that would have made her incredibly happy and at peace,” the fundraiser says.
The fundraiser raised nearly $50,000 in one day, from around 600 donors. “She was loved so greatly by so many people, and she loved each and every one of you right back,” says the fundraiser, created by Amor’s cousin and sister-in-law.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
