Pentagon holds briefing on deadly drone attack

The attack in northeast Jordan killed three Army reservists who were part of the 718th Engineer Company assigned to Fort Moore in Southwest Georgia. People across the nation are grieving their deaths.

Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, of Carrolton, was 46.

Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, of Savannah, was 23.

Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, of Waycross, was 24.

“On behalf of a grateful nation, including the tri-cities of Columbus, Phenix City, and Fort Moore, we extend our deepest condolences to their families and extend our prayers also for a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack,” U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr. said Tuesday. “Their service and sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

Brig. Gen. Todd Lazaroski, commanding general of the 412th Theater Engineer Command, said the three Georgians who were killed “represent the best of America. We will remember their service and their sacrifice.”

At the Georgia Capitol Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said the reservists from Georgia “died for freedom and we owe them a great debt of gratitude for them having paid the ultimate sacrifice. We’re proud of these Georgia soldiers and we are with their families at a time like this.”

“We have to make sure that we bolster American security, that we protect the American national security interests and, at the same time, we don’t want to see that conflict escalate. So that’s the balance the administration is having to keep top of mind.”

AJC staff writer Maya T. Prabhu contributed to this report.