This file has been updated with photos and information about the soldiers killed.
The three American soldiers killed at a base in Jordan over the weekend were all from Georgia, based at that state's Fort Moore. They belonged to an Army reserve engineering unit and were in their housing units at the Tower 22 outpost when a drone struck, the Washington Post reports. Three US personnel were taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a US military facility in Germany, for treatment. Authorities said Sunday night that at least 34 troops were injured. Pentagon deputy press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday that the number had risen to more than 40, CBS News reports. Officials said eight soldiers were evacuated, some in critical condition.
The Americans killed, per NBC News, were:
- Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia. Wanting to see the Middle East, Sanders volunteered for the deployment. At home, she helped coach children's soccer and basketball teams and was working at a pharmacy. Sanders was taking college courses toward becoming an X-ray technician but was considering becoming a full-time soldier. "All the time you saw her smiling," said her father, Shawn.
- Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. She joined the Army Reserve upon graduation from high school in 2019 and was on her first overseas assignment, per the AP. In Georgia, Moffett worked for a home care provider cooking, cleaning, and running errands for people with disabilities. She was the eldest of four siblings. Her 8-year-old sister called her every morning. "I just hope and pray no other family has to go through this," said her mother, Francine.
- Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia. He was trained as an electrician, Army records show, and did a nine-month tour in Iraq in 2018 in the fight against the Islamic State, per the Washington Post. Rivers served in the Army Reserve for more than a decade. He received the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, per the Courier Post. His family could not be reached.
They were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company.
President Biden called them "patriots in the highest sense." (More
Israel-Hamas war stories.)
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