Fayetteville Soldier Killed During Iraq Drone Detonation as Military Investigates
A Fort Bragg soldier from Fayetteville has been identified as the U.S. service member killed during a controlled detonation of a downed drone in Iraq.
The Department of War said Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed July 19 at Erbil Air Base while supporting overseas operations. The department said the detonation involved a downed one-way unmanned aerial system and that the incident remains under investigation.
Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, at Fort Bragg, according to the military release.
Military Times reported that a second service member was wounded in the detonation and treated for a minor injury. Swinton will receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge and will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.
Subscribe free for daily political analysis they won’t broadcast. Join 110K+ readers →
The death carries local weight in Fayetteville and across the Fort Bragg military community. AP reported that Swinton was a father of two and had served in the Army since 2017. His wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, posted that she was notified Sunday and grieved the future plans they had made.
WRAL reported that Swinton’s mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, said his family was the center of his world and that his wife and children shaped every sacrifice he made.
The investigation matters because controlled detonations are intended to reduce risk after a weapon or drone is downed. A fatal incident raises operational questions for the military about what happened, whether procedures were followed, and how troops handling drone debris can be better protected.
Subscribe free for daily political analysis they won’t broadcast. Join 110K+ readers →