Rivers, William Jerome Sr
Male
Verified Staff Sergeant William Jerome Rivers Sr., 46, of Willingboro, New Jersey, was a U.S. Army Reserve soldier killed in a drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan on January 28, 2024.
Their Story
William Jerome Rivers Sr. was a 46-year-old Staff Sergeant serving in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, based out of Fort Moore, Georgia. A native of Willingboro, New Jersey, he was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Rivers died on January 28, 2024, at Tower 22, a remote U.S. logistics support base in northeastern Jordan near the borders with Syria and Iraq. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the base was struck by a one-way attack drone, resulting in hostile casualties. Rivers and two other service members were killed in the attack, which also injured over 40 personnel.
Operation Inherent Resolve is the U.S.-led multinational military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS). It began in August 2014. While the group's territorial caliphate was declared defeated in 2019, the operation continues in an advise, assist, and enable capacity, with U.S. forces deployed across Iraq and Syria, and at support sites like Tower 22 in Jordan.
In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden said the attack was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq. The deaths marked the first U.S. service members killed by hostile fire in the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. The Pentagon stated the soldiers were likely killed in their living quarters, which took a direct hit from the drone.
Rivers was posthumously promoted from Sergeant First Class to Staff Sergeant. His body was returned to the United States during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. Public records indicate he was a married father.
Explore Further
William Jerome Rivers Sr. was killed during Operation Inherent Resolve (ongoing since August 2014). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Villotcarrasco, Yeshabel, Spears, Jordan Lee, Walker, Jonathan Doyle, Neal, Sean Patrick.
