NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) – A New Jersey–born soldier was among three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers killed in Sunday's drone strike on an American base in Jordan near the Syrian border that also wounded more than 40 others.
Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, was a native of Willingboro and joined the Army Reserve in New Jersey in 2011, serving a nine-month tour in Iraq in 2018. He joined the 718th Engineering Company at Fort Moore last year and lived in Carrollton, about 45 miles west of Atlanta, according to the Defense Department.
Spc. Kennedy Sanders and Spc. Breonna Moffett were also killed in the strike, officials said.
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sergeant William Rivers of Willingboro, who was among three U.S. soldiers killed in the terrorist attack in Jordan this weekend," Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday in a statement.
"As parents, Tammy and I send our heartfelt sympathies to all three families who now face the unimaginable pain of losing a cherished loved one," the governor continued. "As Americans, we share our gratitude for the soldiers’ bravery and sacrifice, and for the courage of every servicemember fighting terrorism at home and abroad, to whom we owe a debt we can never repay."
Murphy said he would sign an executive order later this week lowering flags to half-staff to honor Rivers.
The Pentagon said the three soldiers died when "when a one way unmanned aerial system impacted their container housing units" at the desert base.
Officials said Monday that U.S. forces may have mistaken an enemy drone for an American one and let it pass unchallenged into the base.
As the enemy drone was flying in at a low altitude, a U.S. drone was returning to the small installation known as Tower 22, unnamed sources told the Associated Press.
As a result, there was no effort to shoot down the enemy drone that hit the outpost. One of the trailers where troops sleep sustained the brunt of the strike, while surrounding trailers got limited damage from the blast and flying debris.
The brazen attack, which the Biden administration blames on Iranian-based proxies, adds another layer of complexity to an already tense Mideast situation as the Biden administration tries to keep the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a broader regional conflict.
Iran on Monday denied it was behind the drone strike.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said U.S. officials are still working through determining which militant group was behind the attack. He noted that Iran has longed equipped and trained the militias.
“We are not looking for a war with Iran,” Kirby told reporters. “That said, this was a very serious attack. It had lethal consequences. We will respond, and we respond appropriately.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.