US soldier killed in Jordan drone attack wanted to ‘make her country proud,’ was ‘super brave’: family pal
One of the three US soldiers killed by a terrorist drone strike in Jordan wanted to “make her country proud” by joining the Army and knew the risks involved but wasn’t afraid to “do her part,” a pal told The Post.
A lifelong friend of 24-year-old Kennedy Sanders said the Army Reservist “loved serving her country” and knew the risks involved with enlisting in the military.
“She was super brave,” Quoyah McPherson, 29, told The Post.
“She wanted to serve the country and make this country proud. I want everybody to know she did exactly that.”
McPherson described Sanders as her “god sister,” explaining that their mothers are best friends and former neighbors in Georgia.
“We all grew up together. We always just call each other sisters,” McPherson said.
“We have so many pictures together as babies.”
McPherson shared a photo of her and Kennedy as children smiling together among a pile of siblings and cousins.
“Kennedy was super goofy, funny. She was real big in the community with volunteering, athletics, she was a coach,” McPherson said.
“She liked to play pranks on people all the time, very trustful. That’s why I loved her.”
Kennedy was killed in her bunkhouse near the Syrian border on Saturday night when an Iran-backed militia launched a drone strike.
She died alongside two other troopmates, Spc. Brianna Moffatt, 23, Sgt. William Rivers, 46.
All three were Georgia natives based out of Fort Moore.
McPherson, a Marine Corps veteran, said Kennedy came from a family of service members, including her father, her cousin, and others who served in numerous branches of the military.
Despite those influences, McPherson noted that Kennedy was “her own person” who made sure she joined the Army out of her own personal ambitions.
“It was something she wanted to do,” McPherson said, adding that Kennedy was planning to enlist full-time after her term in the reserves ended and make a career out of the Army.
Even though the job came with danger, Kennedy was willing to phase them because “she loved serving the country.”
“Going into the military you know the risks, you understand the risks. Kennedy was not naïve to the situation,” McPherson said.
“She knew what type of risks would come with it and she still decided to serve her country. She paid the ultimate price for this country.”
Though the loss has been “pretty hard” for Sanders’ family, especially for her mother and her twin brother, Kendall, McPherson said Kennedy died doing what she loved.
“She was proud to serve her country, if Kennedy had the choice to do it over again I’m sure she would,” she said.
“She was in it because she wanted to serve the country, and make this country proud, and do her part. And I want everybody to know she did exactly that.”
