WASHINGTON — As three Georgia families mourn the loss of the three Army Reserve soldiers killed in Jordan, Congressional leaders gathered on the House floor Tuesday to honor their lives.
Ahead of a moment of silence, Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia's 1st District and Congressman Drew Ferguson of Georgia's 3rd District brought attention to the tragedy. Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett died in a weekend drone attack attack at a base in Jordan, officials said.
According to the Department of Defense, the three were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia.
"Mr. Speaker, our brave servicemembers put their lives on the line every day, and we owe our freedoms and security to them," Carter said. "I ask my colleagues representing the state of Georgia and all those here to join me in a moment of silence in honor of our brave heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice."
Standing on the House floor, the congressional leaders bowed their heads to honor Sanders, Rivers and Moffett.
Sgt. William Rivers
Rivers was 46 at the time of the attack. He enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2011, earning multiple awards and decorations.
According to the Department of Defense, Rivers enlisted “as an Interior Electrician (12R). He was first assigned to the 990th Engineer Company at Fort McGuire-Dix in N.J. after completing advanced individual training. In 2018, Rivers completed a 9-month rotation to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In 2023, Rivers was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Ga.”
According to The Times, Rivers had been deployed to Iraq in 2018 to fight against Islamic State militants.
Spc. Kennedy Sanders
Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, volunteered for the Army Reserves in 2019. She met Breonna Moffett, who was a year younger, in basic training, and they became close friends — serving and then dying together.
Kennedy's mother, Oneida Sanders, said Kennedy called her this past Saturday to tell her she was planning to buy a motorcycle.
“Which she knew that I would be strictly against it," she said. "Her friends were all laughing in the background when she told me, and you know, even though she was 24 years old, I told her that she was strictly prohibited from getting a motorcycle. So that was the last time that we talked.”
According to The New York Times, Spc. Sanders had been trained to operate heavy equipment, such as road graders, and had one previous deployment to an American outpost in Djibouti in 2021.
Her parents said they were proud of their daughter beyond words.
"She lived a big life for only 24 years,” Oneida Sanders said. “Live your life like Kennedy. Do what you want to do. Set goals and live life. You never know when the end is here.”
Spc. Breonna Moffett
Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, was from Savannah. Francine Moffett said her daughter Breonna always wanted to join the military, enlisting in 2019 right after she graduated from high school.
“She was in ROTC throughout high school,” Francine said.
She was determined to follow in her mother's footsteps. Her mother said this was Breonna's first deployment.
I was in the military," Francine said. "And since I was the first female in the family to join the military, she was so excited to become the second female in the family to join the military.”
Moffett's parents remembered her as someone who always lit up a room and had a bright spirit.
"She loved her friends, she loved her family and she was just so amazing, just so amazing," Francine said.
Francine said Monday that she last spoke with Breonna this past Thursday when she called her to make sure she had received the care package she had sent her.
“Because she wanted her strawberry shortcake and her sunflower seeds and her real estate book because she was studying to become a realtor, as well,” Francine said. “She always had a smile on her face. She always just commanded attention. And she just loved life. She was definitely going to re-enlist and do one more tour because she wanted to become a sergeant. And she wanted to become a realtor part-time.”
Her father added that she loved drums and was drum major in school and that they often bonded over food -- her favorite dish was pork chops.