U.S. Soldiers Killed in Jordan Drone Strike Identified: 'Patriots in the Highest Sense'

Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett were killed Sunday

The three U.S. Army service members killed in an unmanned aerial drone attack in Jordan on Sunday were identified by the Pentagon on Monday.

Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Willingboro, New Jersey; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia, died when “a one-way unmanned aerial system (OWUAS) impacted their container housing units,” the Department of Defense said in a press release.

“The loss of Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett has left an indelible mark on the United States Army Reserve,” Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command, said in a statement. “These Citizen-Soldiers died in service to their country on Jan. 28, 2024, in Jordan.”

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“On behalf of the Army Reserve, I share in the sorrow felt by their friends, family, and loved ones," Daniels continued. "Their service and sacrifice will not be forgotten, and we are committed to supporting those left behind in the wake of this tragedy.”

During a press conference Monday, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that “over 40” people were injured. Eight of those injured were medically evacuated from Jordan to the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center. Three people will continue to receive care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, while the other five are expected to return to duty.

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The incident remains under investigation, Singh said, later telling reporters that an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-backed militia was behind the attack. “It has the footprints of Kata'ib Hezbollah but not making a final assessment on that,” she said, adding that the U.S. “will respond at a time and place of our choosing.”

The drone strike happened at the Tower 22 outpost, where about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are deployed, reports CBS News. The base is located in north-eastern Jordan, near the border with Syria, notes BBC News.

Before meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his “outrage and sorrow” over the three deaths, reports CNN.

“Let me start with my outrage and sorrow for the death of three brave U.S. troops in Jordan, and for the other troops who were wounded,” Austin said. “The President and I will not tolerate attacks on US forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the US and our troops.”

“The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday. “And their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation."

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