In southeast Georgia, two young Army Reserve soldiers, Sgt. Kennedy Sanders and Sgt. Breonna Moffett, were remembered at emotional funerals, nearly three weeks after losing their lives in a drone attack during their deployment in the Middle East.
The funeral service for 24-year-old Sgt. Kennedy Sanders took place in the packed 1,200-seat auditorium of Ware County Middle School in Waycross. Fellow soldiers paid tribute to Sanders, highlighting her courage, loving personality, and her selfless willingness to volunteer for challenging tasks.
Reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution underscored the impact Sanders had, including learning to operate earth-moving equipment for construction projects.
Colonel Jeffrey Dulgarian, speaking at the service, described Sanders as a determined individual who tackled her responsibilities with vigor and skill.
Mandy Lingenfelter, Sanders’s former basketball coach, fondly remembered her as a point guard for Ware County High’s Lady Gators, noting the constant joy and determination she brought to the team.
Lingenfelter emphasized Sanders’s prioritization of putting others first, showcasing her strong sense of compassion and selflessness. In Savannah, a similar farewell was held for Sgt.
Breonna Moffett, 23, whose funeral at a Baptist church coincided with Sanders’s service, occurring 100 miles away. The Moffett family requested media not be present during the ceremony.
Both soldiers were part of the Army Reserve’s 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, stationed at Fort Moore in west Georgia. They enlisted in 2019 as construction engineers, responsible for tasks involving heavy equipment like bulldozers to clear roads and construction sites.
As close friends, Moffett and Sanders had developed a strong bond by the time they were deployed to the Middle East last year. Francine Moffett, Breonna’s mother, mentioned that whenever the family contacted Breonna, they would often hear from Sanders as well, highlighting the camaraderie they shared.
Breonna Moffett, just days past her 23rd birthday, worked in Savannah for United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia, dedicating herself to teaching cooking and other skills to individuals with disabilities. Her military service followed her graduation from Windsor Forest High School, where she excelled as a drum major and JROTC cadet.
Sanders, hailing from Waycross on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp, worked at a local pharmacy when not serving in uniform. Beyond her military commitments, she contributed to her community by coaching children’s basketball and soccer teams.
During the funeral services, heartfelt eulogies and memories painted a vivid picture of two young lives filled with promise, cut short in a tragic drone strike at Tower 22, a U.S. military desert outpost near the Syrian border in Jordan.
The deaths of Sanders, Moffett, and Staff Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, who was buried earlier, marked the first U.S. fatalities attributed to Iran-backed militia groups after months of increased attacks on American forces in the region since the Israel–Hamas war began in October.
These solemn ceremonies not only paid tribute to the lives of Sanders and Moffett but also highlighted the sacrifices made by military personnel serving in challenging environments, emphasizing the impact of their untimely deaths on their families, friends, and communities.
