Two female US soldiers killed in Jordan drone attack were best friends, shattered kin say as they recall final phone calls
The heartbroken families of the two female US soldiers killed by a drone strike in Jordan say the young women were best friends — as their moms recalled their final phone calls with their hero daughters.
Army Reserve Spcs. Kennedy Sanders, 24, and Breonna Moffett, 23, both from Georgia and the children of US veterans, had become close friends after meeting in basic training in 2019.
Moffett was even featured in one of Sanders’ TikTok videos of her deployment overseas in October, with the older soldier poking fun at Moffett for dipping hot sauce in the maple syrup for her breakfast waffles. Moffett fired back by mocking Sanders’ use of hot sauce in her cheese.
In one of Moffett’s TikTok videos in the same week, the women could be seen laughing along with a group of friends as they trash-talked one of the eateries they visited while overseas.
Moffett’s mother, Francine, noted that whenever she called her daughter, worried about her first deployment overseas, Sanders was always nearby.
“Every time I’d call Breonna, I’d see Sanders just stick her head in and say, ‘Hey! How you doing?,’ ” said Francine, an Army veteran.
The grieving mother said her last phone call with Breonna was Thursday, a week after the soldier’s birthday, when she wanted to make sure her daughter received a care package the family sent.
“Because she wanted her strawberry shortcake and her sunflower seeds and her real estate book because she was studying to become a Realtor,” Francine told local 11 Alive. “She always had a smile on her face. She always loved her friends. She always loved her family.”
Sanders’ mother, Oneida, noted all the friends her daughter made during her time in the military, saying her child was particularly close to Breonna, who was only a year younger.
“Breonna Moffett was one of the ones who, you know, she grew a close relationship with,” Oneida told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday of her daughter.
“Every time [Kennedy] would call me on the phone or FaceTime me on the phone, Breonna was always somewhere nearby, even in the background, participating in the conversation,” she added.
Oneida was able to speak to her daughter Saturday, just hours before the deadly drone strike hit the base, with Sanders musing about buying a motorcycle even though her mother was against it.
“Her friends were all laughing in the background when she told me, and you know, even though she was 24 years old, I told her that she was strictly prohibited from getting a motorcycle,” Oneida said. “So that was the last time that we talked.”
Along with the talk about the motorcycle, Oneida said Sanders was considering buying a house and becoming a full-time soldier.
Francine added that Moffett also wanted to re-enlist and be promoted to the rank of sergeant.
Along with Sanders and Moffett, Sgt. William Rivers, 46, also from Georgia, died when an unmanned drone hit Tower 22 in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.
No specific group has claimed responsibility for the attack at the base, which is situated near Al Tanf Garrison, where US forces worked with allies to fight off Islamic State militants.
The drone assault was the deadliest attack on US troops in the Middle East since an ISIS bomb killed four American soldiers in 2019.
President Biden, who confirmed that he would attend the ceremony honoring the slain soldiers, blamed Iran-backed militant groups for the attack and vowed that the US would “respond.”
With Post wires
