1st Lt. Tyler Feehan was weeks away from finishing his MBA when he was killed in Jordan. On Monday, Southern Utah University confirmed that the soldier lost in the attack was one of its own students, and that the degree he had nearly completed will now be awarded posthumously.

He was 25 years old.

A Student and a Soldier

Feehan came to SUU from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and moved through the university in two capacities at once. He graduated from the school’s Army ROTC program and was pursuing a graduate business degree at the time of his death.

In spring 2024, the ROTC program commissioned him as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the US Army. He was subsequently assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, part of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Even while enrolled at SUU, he was already serving. Feehan spent time with the 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery of the Utah Army National Guard in Cedar City.

The picture that emerges is of someone who never really stepped away from service, layering coursework on top of a military career rather than choosing between them.

What Happened in Jordan

Feehan was killed alongside Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, a 19-year-old from Carrollton, Texas. Both were supporting an American mission directed against the Islamic State group.

US Central Command announced the deaths on Saturday.

According to the US military, the death toll in the ongoing war with Iran now stands at 17.

The timing of the announcement was grim in its own right. Iran’s supreme leader had warned of what he called unforgettable lessons should American strikes continue, a statement issued only minutes before the two soldiers’ deaths were made public.

The military responded with fresh airstrikes on Saturday, described by officials as an effort to swiftly punish Iran.

A University in Mourning

SUU President Mindy Benson addressed the loss on behalf of the campus, saying the university’s thoughts were with Feehan’s family, his fellow soldiers, his classmates and everyone who knew him.

She described the community as grateful for his service and said his sacrifice would be permanently remembered among the Thunderbird community.

The school has begun organizing ways to mark his life:

• Feehan will be formally recognized at the Pioneer Legacy Celebration on Thursday
• Yellow ribbons will be displayed on the Carter Carillon
• The carillon will play “The Army Song” at the top of every hour
• Additional tributes are expected to be announced in the days ahead

Utah Leaders Respond

Gov. Spencer Cox shared his reaction on X Monday evening, writing that he and his wife Abby were heartbroken by the loss.

He said Feehan had answered the call to serve both Utah and the nation with courage and honor, and that his sacrifice would not be forgotten. Cox offered prayers for the family, for Feehan’s fellow soldiers and for the wider SUU community.

Sen. Mike Lee posted a tribute as well, asking others to keep the family and friends of the young officer in their prayers and noting his standing as an SUU graduate student and former Utah National Guardsman who gave his life in service.

Sen. John Curtis also acknowledged Feehan’s legacy publicly.

A Push for Congressional Action

Curtis went further than a tribute. He argued that the weekend strike should push Congress to hold a vote on authorizing military operations against Iran.

His framing was notable for what it did not say. Curtis stressed that congressional action would not necessarily mean restraining the president. Rather, he described it as Congress defining the shape and scope of the mission, and acknowledged there is no established playbook for doing so.

That distinction matters in the current debate. The question of who authorizes sustained military engagement, and how explicitly, has resurfaced with each escalation in the conflict.

Two Losses, Two Communities

Attention has naturally centered on Feehan in Utah, given his ties to SUU and the National Guard unit in Cedar City. But the attack claimed two lives, and Gonzales was only 19.

Her death, alongside Feehan’s, represents the human cost that tends to get compressed into casualty figures. Seventeen is a number. Two young people from Hawaii and Texas, serving in Jordan, are something else entirely.

Remembering a Life Cut Short

There is a particular weight to Feehan’s story that goes beyond the circumstances of his death. He was on the verge of finishing a graduate degree, the kind of milestone that usually signals a next chapter rather than an ending.

The posthumous MBA will not change that. But it does acknowledge something real about how he lived, balancing the demands of officer training, National Guard service and graduate coursework simultaneously.

For SUU, the ribbons on the carillon and the hourly song will fade in time. What tends to endure in campus communities is the name itself, attached to a program, a scholarship or an annual moment of recognition.

For a 25-year-old who had already given his state and his country years of service, that seems like the least his community can offer.