President Trump made an unannounced trip Wednesday to a Delaware military base to receive the remains of a Navy SEAL killed during a counter-terrorism raid, the White House said.
Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, of Peoria, Ill., a member of U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six, was killed during a weekend raid against a group of senior al-Qaeda leaders in central Yemen, officials said.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., traveled with Trump to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Also accompanied by daughter Ivanka, Trump was expected to join Owens' family for a private ceremony. The event is closed to the press because the Owens family requested privacy.
The trip was not on Trump's public schedule.
Trump, who spoke with Owens' widow, said in a statement over the weekend that "Americans are saddened this morning with news that a life of a heroic service member has been taken in our fight against the evil of radical Islamic terrorism."
He added: "The sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces, and the families they leave behind, are the backbone of the liberty we hold so dear as Americans, united in our pursuit of a safer nation and a freer world."
