A Florida mother whose son was killed by an Iranian drone attack last month said she urged President Donald Trump to finish carrying out the military operation against Iran, adding that it is what her son \u201csigned up for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donna Burhans, 67, suffered a parent\u2019s ultimate nightmare when she learned that her son, 35-year-old Cody Khork, was killed on March 1 when an Iranian drone slammed into a command center in Kuwait just hours after Trump launched \u201cOperation Epic Fury.\u201d Despite her grief, Burhans told NBC News<\/a> on Thursday that her son\u2019s death is not on the president\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted him to know that I do not blame him. I do not blame anything that\u2019s happened for my son\u2019s death,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cI told him to finish it. I said, \u2018Go get \u2019em.\u2019 This is what my son signed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n Khork was killed alongside five of his fellow Army reservists and is one of 13 U.S. servicemembers who have been killed during the Iran war. Six more U.S. troops were killed on March 12 when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq. Another American soldier was killed in an Iranian missile attack on a Saudi air base on March 8.<\/p>\n Cody Khork, Army Reserve<\/p>\n<\/div>\n After her tragic loss, Burhans said she spoke with Trump at the dignified transfer ceremony for her son and the five others who were killed in the Iranian attack. When Trump met with the families of the fallen U.S. troops at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on March 7, he was noticeably \u201cdistraught,\u201d Burhans said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had his head down. And he was just a normal, caring person,\u201d she said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t the president when he walked into the room. He was just there to tell us how sorry he was.\u201d<\/p>\n Burhans also told NBC News that she remains confident in Trump for his decision to attack Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump knows what he\u2019s doing. He knows exactly what he\u2019s doing, and he\u2019s doing everything the way it\u2019s supposed to be done,\u201d she added. \u201cI have my trust in him and God.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long time coming. It should have been done a long time ago, and Trump is the only one man enough to stand up and do it,\u201d Burhans said of the war with Iran. \u201cThey hate America.\u201d<\/p>\n After attending the dignified transfer in Dover, Trump said the families of the fallen troops all told him, \u201cMake sure you win, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will,\u201d Trump added. \u201cWe\u2019ve already won in many ways. But we haven\u2019t won enough. We go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Trump announced that the United States had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, arguing that the core objectives of the U.S. military operation had been achieved.<\/p>\n Khork was a U.S. Army Reserve captain who enlisted in the National Guard after high school in 2009. He served in deployments to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, and Poland before he was deployed to Kuwait.<\/p>\n Army Lt. Col. Scott LaRonde, Khork\u2019s ROTC commander at Florida Southern College, said<\/a> Khork always looked out for cadets around him who were struggling to fit in.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had that knack for reading people and helping them feel more comfortable,\u201d LaRonde said, adding, \u201cYou walked away feeling better after five minutes with Cody.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-2026-04-10T124732.778-576x576.jpg\")
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