The three soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, based at Fort Moore, Georgia. They were part of a team trained to deploy on short notice to build routes and landing strips.
The Defense Department said at least another 34 service members were injured in the attack. The Biden administration said the attack was a drone attack by an Iranian-backed militia. The soldiers' families expressed their grief in social media posts that were widely shared by friends and family. The small community of Waycross issued a proclamation Monday honoring Specialist Kennedy Sanders.