The grieving family of slain Army 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan remembered him as brave and passionate about life during an exclusive interview with "The Story" on Tuesday.
Feehan, a 25-year-old Army soldier from Georgia, was one of three U.S. service members killed in an Iranian drone attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 18.
"We are so proud of him, and it's just so touching that the country is also sharing in that pride with us," his mother Shari Feehan said.
In the emotional tribute, Feehan’s mother and fiancée shared details about his final resting place in Georgia and recalled how elated he was to be deployed to the Middle East.
"He was so excited to go," Feehan’s fiancée Claire Fletcher told Fox News. "He was just so excited to finally do his job that he's been training for and working towards, and he was so excited to get out there and make a difference and change lives."
While she was upset about her fiancé leaving on deployment, Fletcher said she was also excited for him to do what he loved and ultimately "come home."
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"I was obviously very sad when I got the news that he was going to go, but I was very proud of him. I was like, ‘You know what, I just — I just want you to go out there. I want you to get the experience that you are wanting to get out of this, and to come home,'" Fletcher said.
"He was positive the entire time, and he was always like, ‘Oh yeah, I did so great today. We shot down 10 missiles,'" she added.
Feehan was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The Gold Star family told Fox News that military service is important to the Feehan family.
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"He [Tyler] loved serving his country. His father did 26 years in the Army, and so the military and the country have always been very important to our family, and he carried that legacy on," Shari Feehan said.
The 25-year-old was laid to rest in Georgia on Friday, directly beside his grandfather, a Vietnam War veteran, who died a few days after the soldier’s tragic death in Jordan.
"Georgia National Cemetery, where Tyler is laid to rest with his grandfather, is just such a beautiful, peaceful place for our son," his mother told Fox News.
"They were together and very close in life, and now they can rest next to each other," she added.
Feehan’s mother also reflected on the family’s flight home to Georgia aboard Air Force One following an invitation from President Donald Trump.
"It was such a nice experience to be able to meet and talk with the president," she said. "I feel like he was very genuine in speaking with us, and we got to let him know a little bit more about Tyler and the wonderful young man that he was."
Tyler Feehan will posthumously receive the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.
