Tipsheet

Parents of Fallen US Soldiers in the Middle East Had One Message for President Trump

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 10, 2026 2:45 PM

President Trump revealed Monday that the parents of soldiers killed during Operation Epic Fury had one message for him when he met with them at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware: “Finish the job.”

"As of today, there have been eight U.S. military fatalities associated with the war in Iran. How many American deaths are you willing to have in this war?" a reporter asked the president on Monday.

"Well, as I said before, when you have conflicts like this, you always have death. And I was at Dover yesterday. I met the parents, and they were unbelievable people. They were unbelievable people, but they all had one thing in common," President Trump said. "They said to me one thing, every single one: 'Finish the job, sir. Please finish the job.' And I'll leave you at that. Thank you very much, everybody."

This comes as Democrats and some isolationist conservatives have blasted the president’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, warning it could lead to another “forever war” and risk American lives with no clear benefit to the country. 

Yet the families of the eight fallen soldiers appear to stand firmly behind the president’s decision, and want him to see it through so their own sacrifices are not in vain.

Just in the past week, CNN reported that veterans as a voting bloc strongly support the president’s actions in Operation Epic Fury, further undercutting claims that the conflict is destined to become another wasteful war in the Middle East.