Pentagon identifies 3 US soldiers killed in Jordan drone attack

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday identified the three U.S. Army soldiers who were killed during a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday.

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According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense, the three soldiers killed were all from Georgia. They were Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton; Spec. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24; of Waycross; and Spec. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah.

The soldiers were members of a reserve engineering unit who were in their housing units when the drone exploded, The Washington Post reported. At least 25 others were injured in the attack, which President Joe Biden said was a drone attack from an Iran-backed militia.

They were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, at Fort Moore, Georgia, according to the Department of Defense.

Defense officials said that the soldiers were at Tower 22, a small installation in northeastern Jordan, near the borders of Iraq and Syria, the Post reported.

Biden, who was traveling in South Carolina, said Sunday that the U.S. will respond to the attack.

“We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases,” the president said. “And we shall respond.”

Biden said in a written statement that the United States “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing,” The Associated Press reported.

According to a statement from the Army Reserve Command, Rivers enlisted in the Army Reserve as an Interior Electrician in 2011, ABC News reported. He completed a nine-month rotation to Iraq in 2018 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, for which he received the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with Campaign Star.

Rivers’ wife, who asked not to be identified, told WSB-TV that her husband was passionate about his work with the Army.

“He was away, and he just promised that he would be home safe. And unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” she told the television station, adding that she did not know her husband was in Jordan. “They came to the door and told me that he had passed away in Jordan, which I didn’t know he was in Jordan because, I guess, that was classified information.”

Sanders was a 2017 graduate of Ware County High School in Waycross, WJCL-TV reported.

On Monday, officials in Ware County, located in the southeastern area of Georgia, issued a proclamation honoring Sanders and ordered that all flags will be flown at half-mast until sunset on the day of her internment.

“Her unwavering commitment to defending our nation and protecting the freedoms we hold dear will forever be etched in our hearts and memories,” the proclamation read. “Her sacrifice will not be forgotten, and his service will be forever honored. ... Her sacrifice reminds us of the profound debt of gratitude we owe to those who selflessly serve our country.”

Moffett, a graduate of Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2019 as a Horizontal Construction Engineer, the Pentagon said. She was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson released a statement on Facebook, calling the soldiers heroes.

“May we always remember that freedom is not free,” Johnson wrote.

“On behalf of the Army Reserve, I share in the sorrow felt by their friends, family, and loved ones, Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General U.S. Army Reserve Command, said in the Department of Defense press release. “Their service and sacrifice will not be forgotten, and we are committed to supporting those left behind in the wake of this tragedy.”

Jordan has been used as a logistic support base for U.S. troops, the AP reported. There are approximately 3,000 U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East nation.

According to the news organization, Iranian-backed militias have struck American military installations in Iraq and Syria dozens of times. Sunday’s attack marked the first time that U.S. troops were targeted in Jordan since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7.

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