US Soldier Jumped Into Ocean to Rescue Fellow Service Member

Missing U.S. Soldiers Off Morocco Coast

One of the two U.S. soldiers reported missing near the southern coast of Morocco reportedly jumped into the sea to assist a fellow soldier who was unable to swim.

Details from initial reports indicate that a hiking excursion turned tragic when two soldiers ended up lost at sea, while three others managed to escape, according to defense officials. The group was near a cliff at the Cap Draa training area when one soldier fell into the water. Attempts to help him using linked belts by others nearby were unsuccessful.

Another soldier also attempted a rescue but was knocked back by the waves. Then, a third soldier jumped in to try to help, but, unfortunately, couldn’t reach either of them. Thankfully, he survived.

The missing personnel, part of the African Lion 2026 exercise, were last seen near Tintin, Morocco. As part of the ongoing search efforts, the U.S. military is deploying a Boeing P8 Poseidon aircraft from Italy’s Sigonella Naval Air Station. Moroccan military divers are also searching the coastal caves.

Efforts to locate the missing soldiers involve divers, ships, helicopters, and mountain rescue teams, as reported by the Associated Press. The Royal Moroccan Army indicated that the soldiers went missing from a cliff around 9 PM on a Saturday.

U.S. officials state that the soldiers fell from the cliff into the ocean, and there is no indication of foul play, with reports suggesting the incident was accidental rather than tied to any terrorist activity. The fatal incident occurred after the day’s training, as they went for a recreational hike, according to the Associated Press.

African Lion is a multinational military exercise taking place in Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, and Ghana, which includes U.S. and NATO forces. This isn’t the first tragedy associated with the exercise; two U.S. Marines tragically died in a helicopter crash during the same event in 2012.

Interestingly, a CBS News team had just spoken with technology developer Lt. Vincent Gaspari hours before the disappearance of the soldiers. He mentioned assessing their current work as a way to gauge the potential lives they could save in the future. The drone he created is currently being utilized in the search efforts.