US President Donald Trump on Wednesday paid tribute to four US service members killed in the Middle East, attending a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware as their remains were returned to the US.Trump saluted as four flag-draped transfer cases were carried off a military plane during the ceremony, which also included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Kaine and members of Congress.Speaking later at an event in Georgia, Trump described the ceremony as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”He said, “I’ve been there many times before. This, in particular, was a very sad thing.”Earlier in the day, Trump said his message to the bereaved families was simple: “We love you. We love your child.”The remains include two US Army soldiers killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan, a third soldier believed to have been killed in the same attack after previously going missing, and another soldier killed in Iraq in the explosion of an Iranian drone.The Pentagon identified the soldiers killed in Jordan as Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas. The soldier killed in the same attack is believed to be Angel S., 28, of New York. Rampersad. The fourth service member, Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina, was killed in Iraq.Trump said Feehan’s family traveled with him to Georgia on Air Force One. During his remarks, he remembered the young officer as “an innocent” man who was “going all the way – he was going to be a general.”Addressing Feehan’s parents, Trump said, “We will always hold the memories of Tyler in our hearts, and I just want to thank you. It’s an honor to have you here today.”Trump has repeatedly linked the deaths of soldiers to the ongoing conflict with Iran.“Those great people, those great patriots out there fighting so that Iran wouldn’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said earlier this week. He had said that the US attacks on Iran were being carried out “in respect” of the martyred soldiers.On Monday, Trump also vowed retaliation for American casualties, saying, “Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over!”According to the administration, 18 US service members have been killed since the conflict began on February 28.Trump also said Tuesday that most of the incoming Iranian fire aimed at U.S. bases in Jordan had been intercepted, adding, “They’ve got something hidden in Jordan.” He added, “If we had other operators, you know, unfortunately that wouldn’t happen… We let other people do the work – and sometimes it doesn’t work so well.”The President did not say to whom he was referring.The Pentagon said Feehan would be posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. Gonzales, Rampersad, and Swinton also served in air defense units, while Swinton would similarly receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge and would be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.