The Defense Department on Monday identified three Army Reserve soldiers who were killed at a U.S. base in Jordan on Sunday in what the Biden administration said was a drone attack by an Iranian-backed militia.
The department said at least another
34 service members were injured in the attack.
Those killed were Sgt.
William Jerome Rivers, 46
, of Carrollton, Georgia;
Specialist
Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24
, of Waycross, Georgia;
and
Spc.
Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23,
of Savannah, Georgia.
Kennedy Specialist Ladon Sanders.
Photo: US Army Reserve shows via The New York Times
The Soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, based at Fort Moore, Georgia, a team of Soldiers trained to deploy on short notice to construct roads, landing fields and protective earth berms for U.S. forces.
“On behalf of the Army Reserve, I share the pain felt by your friends, family and loved ones,” said Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels.
"Their service and sacrifice will not be forgotten, and we are committed to supporting those left behind in the wake of this tragedy."
Spc.
Breonna Alexsondria Moffett.
Photo: US Army via AP
In Jordan, the three were assigned to
a remote
desert logistics outpost, called Tower 22, in the northeastern part of the country, where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan converge.
The small facility houses about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force soldiers, according to the Pentagon's Central Command.
US troops have long used Jordan, strategically located near Iraq, Israel, the Palestinian West Bank, Saudi Arabia and Syria, as a launching point for operations.
There are normally
about 3,000 US troops stationed in the country.
An often overlooked team
The three who died Sunday were part of an
often overlooked
part of the military that
delivers supplies, maintains buildings, builds roads
and performs other routine jobs while
taking on the risk of operating in hostile territory.
Rivers trained as an electrician,
had served in the Army Reserve for more than a decade and had been deployed to Iraq in 2018 during the fight against ISIS militants, according to Army records.
Sergeant William Jerome Rivers.
Photo: US Army Reserve shows via The New York Times
Sanders and Moffett enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2019 and were trained to
operate heavy equipment, such as road graders
.
Tower 22 was Moffett's first deployment.
Sanders had been deployed once before, in 2021, to a US outpost in Djibouti.
The soldiers' families expressed their grief in social media posts that were widely shared by friends and family.
"This is one of the saddest days of my life," Moffett's mother said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“The pain will never go away and my life will change forever.
I will never be able to cook your favorite food, we will never be able to talk on the phone, and I will never see you walk through the door of my house again.”
The small community of Waycross issued a proclamation Monday honoring Sanders.
"Kennedy Sanders exemplified the highest ideals of honor, duty and altruism," it reads.
“His sacrifice reminds us of the deep debt of gratitude we owe to those who selflessly serve our country.”
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