One of the three U.S. soldiers killed in a drone attack in Jordan said he wanted to “make his country proud” by joining the Army and was aware of the risks involved. , a friend told the Post that he wasn’t afraid to “do his part.”
A lifelong friend of 24-year-old Kennedy Sanders said the Army reservist “loves serving his country” and knew the risks involved in joining the military.
“She was very brave,” Kuoya McPherson, 29, told the Post. She said, “She served her country and she wanted to make this country proud. She wants everyone to know that she did just that.”
McPherson called Sanders “God’s sister” and described their mother as a close friend and former neighbor in Georgia.
“We’ve all grown up together. We always call each other sisters,” McPherson said. “We have a lot of pictures taken together when we were babies.”
McPherson shared a photo of her and Kennedy as children, smiling together among a crowd of siblings and cousins.
“Kennedy was very goofy and funny. She was a really big part of the community, volunteering, running track and coaching,” McPherson said. “She always liked to play pranks on people, and she was very trustworthy. That’s why I loved her.”
Kennedy was killed Saturday night in a drone attack by an Iranian-backed militia at his bunker near the Syrian border.
She was killed along with two other squad mates, Spc. Brianna Moffatt, 23, Sgt. William Rivers, 46 years old.
All three were from Georgia and based in Fort Moore.
McPherson, a Marine Corps veteran, said Kennedy comes from a military family, including his father, cousins and others who served in many branches of the military.
Despite that influence, McPherson said Kennedy was “her own person” and enlisted in the Army out of her own personal ambitions.
“It was something she wanted to do,” McPherson said, adding that Kennedy intended to enlist full-time after her term in the Reserves and build a career in the Army.
Despite the dangers of the job, Kennedy was willing to gradually admit them because he “loved serving his country.”
“When you go into the military, you know the risks, and you understand the risks. Kennedy was not naive to the situation,” McPherson said. “She knew the risks involved, but she still decided to serve her country. She paid the ultimate price for this country.”
While the loss had been “pretty hard” for Ms Sanders’ family, particularly her mother and twin brother Kendall, Mr McPherson said Mr Kennedy died doing what he loved.
“She was proud to serve her country. If Kennedy had the option to do it all over again, I’m sure she would do it,” she said.
“She joined because she wanted to serve her country and make this country proud and do her part. And she wants everyone to know that she did just that.”
