The Army Reserve unit from southwest Georgia that was hit with a drone strike near the Jordanian-Syrian border Sunday can trace its history to World War II and it has been recognized for its valor in Iraq, military records show.
Established in November 1943 as the 718th Engineer Depot Company, the unit was activated a month later at Camp White in Oregon before participating in the Rhineland and Central European campaigns during WWII.
In 1948, the unit was redesignated as the 718th Engineer Dump Truck Company. Six years later, it was renamed the 718th Engineer Company and activated at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The unit moved to Albany in southwest Georgia in 1957 and then to Atlanta, Forest Park and Chamblee. Activated at Fort Benning, now called Fort Moore, in 2006, it received a Valorous Unit Award and a Navy Unit Commendation streamer during the war in Iraq.
Georgians are mourning the loss of three unit members killed in the drone strike: Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah; Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton; and Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross. More than 40 other Americans were injured.
The attack hit a logistics support base located at Tower 22 in northeastern Jordan, according to U.S. Central Command. About 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel are deployed there.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of militias backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it revenge for America’s military presence in the region and the Palestinian death toll in Gaza, NPR reported.
The Biden administration has pointed to Iranian proxies as the culprits, though Iran has denied involvement.
“Specialist Kennedy Sanders, from Waycross, was killed while defending our country,” U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter posted on social media. “We will never forget her sacrifice. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, and all families mourning the loss of loved ones, during this difficult time.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff also expressed condolences.
“Georgians are united in our grief and our loving support for the families and friends of Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, three Georgians who lost their lives in a cowardly and unprovoked attack on U.S. forces in Jordan yesterday,” he said in a social media post. “Sgt. Rivers, Spc. Sanders, and Spc. Moffett each made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation — sacrifices that will never be forgotten.”
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