ATLANTA — On Monday, the U.S. Defense Department announced the identities of three servicemembers killed in a weekend drone attack at a base in Jordan.
All three are from Georgia, part of the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, from Fort Moore, Ga.
President Joe Biden has promised to “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing."
Here's what we know about the soldiers and the circumstances of the attack.
What we know about soldiers from Georgia killed in Jordan attack
They were identified as:
- Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Ga.
- Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga.
- Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga.
Spc. Kennedy Sanders
She 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.”
You can watch an interview with Spc. Sanders' parents below:
Spc. Breonna Moffett
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.
You can watch an interview with Moffett's parents below:
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 TheTimes, Rivers wad been deployed to Iraq in 2018 to fight against Islamic State militants.
What we know about the attack in Jordan
- In addition to the three killed, 34 more servicemembers were wounded: It's unclear at this time how many additional servicemembers who were wounded in the attack might also be from Georgia.
- It occurred at an outpost known as Tower 22: The base is in remote territory in northeast Jordan, near the borders with Syria and Iraq.
- More on Tower 22: From the Associated Press: "The base began as a Jordanian outpost watching the border, then saw an increased U.S. presence there after American forces entered Syria in late 2015. The small installation includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and security troops with about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed there. The base’s location offers a site for American forces to infiltrate and quietly leave Syria. A small American garrison at al-Tanf in Syria is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Tower 22. That base is along a Syrian highway leading into Iraq and ultimately Mosul, once a prominent base of the Islamic State group. It’s also a potential weapons shipment route over the road for Iran."
- An Iran-backed militia is believed to be responsible: Iran funds and arms many loosely organized groups around the region, and the U.S. military has not identified the specific militant group believed to be responsible in this case. CNN reports there are no current indications that Iran had a role in directing this attack.
- The attack occurred when an enemy drone may have been mistaken for a U.S. drone: As the enemy drone was flying in at a low altitude, a U.S. drone was returning to Tower 22, according to a preliminary report cited by two officials, who were not authorized to comment and insisted on anonymity, As a result, there was no effort to shoot down the enemy drone that hit the outpost.
- More on the strike: One of the trailers where troops sleep sustained the brunt of the strike, while surrounding trailers got limited damage from the blast and flying debris. While there are no large air defense systems at Tower 22, the base does have counter-drone systems, such as Coyote drone interceptors. Asked if the failure to shoot down the enemy drone was “human error," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh responded that the U.S. Central Command was still assessing the matter.
- President Biden has vowed a response: The president said it would come "at a time and in a manner (of) our choosing" but John Kirby with the National Security Council told CNN on Monday, "We don't seek a war with Iran."