Sanders, Kennedy Ladon

Sgt. Kennedy Ladon Sanders was a 24-year-old soldier from Waycross, Georgia. She served in the U.S. Army Reserve with the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, based at Fort Moore, Georgia. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, she had deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sanders died on January 28, 2024, at Tower 22, a remote U.S. military logistics support base in northeastern Jordan near the borders with Syria and Iraq. The base was struck by a one-way attack drone, according to U.S. Central Command. The attack killed three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers and injured over 40 other service members.

Operation Inherent Resolve is the U.S.-led multinational military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, which began in August 2014. U.S. forces, including those stationed at Tower 22, provide advisory and support roles to local partner forces. The base is part of a network of sites used for counter-ISIS operations.

U.S. President Joe Biden stated the attack was carried out by Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq. The deaths marked the first U.S. military fatalities from hostile fire in the region since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023. Sanders was posthumously promoted from Specialist to Sergeant.

Sanders was remembered by her family as a dedicated soldier who loved coaching children. Her body was returned to the United States in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. She was awarded the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Sgt. Sanders 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.

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