Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett all died in the drone attack on Jan. 28, the Pentagon says.
(L to R) Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, courtesy of the US Army Reserve Command
The names of the three American service members who were killed during an unmanned aerial drone attack on a military base in northeast Jordan have been identified by the Pentagon, CBS News reports.
On Monday (Jan.29), the U.S. Defense Department issued a press release confirming that Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Ga; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga, in Jordan died on Sunday (Jan. 28).
According to the Pentagon, the fatal attack took place when “a one-way unmanned aerial system (OWUAS) impacted their container housing units.” The location of the attack was an outpost known as Tower 22, where at least “350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are deployed.”
U.S. Central Command noted on Monday that at least 40 service members were injured and eight of the wounded service members were evacuated. While some are in critical condition all are now stable.
During the press conference on Monday, Sabrina Singh, press secretary of the Pentagon, told reporters that the attack occurred at the service members living quarters “pretty early morning” which was different from previous attacks that have been documented.
“People were actually in their beds when the drone impacted,” Singh explained.
Singh also noted that the U.S. government believed that the attack was executed by a militia backed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with groups in Syria and Iraq.
During his two-day visit to South Carolina, President Joe Biden asked the congregation of the Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia to pause for a moment of silence in honor of the deceased service members during his remarks. He also said the casualties were the result of violent “Iran-backed militia groups.”
Francine Moffett, Spc. Moffett’s mother released a statement paying tribute to her daughter.
Breonna was a very smart, beautiful young woman. She loved to laugh, she was outgoing, and had many friends that she just adored. She was always smiling and just made you smile with her,” the statement read.
“She always knew that the military would be part of her life and she wore her uniform proudly. She loved her siblings so much. She loved telling people that she was a Windsor Forest marching knights Drum Major and loved the ROTC,” the statement continued. “Our hearts and souls have been broken. After her tour, she wanted to come back and volunteer with the ROTC program and to be a mentor. She just loved helping people.”
The drone strike is said to be the deadliest attack on U.S. service members since 2021 when 13 Americans were killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul when U.S. armed forces pulled out of Afghanistan.
The attack is currently under investigation by the U.S. government.
