President Joe Biden will attend a dignified handover ceremony at Dover Air Force Base on Friday for the three US troops killed by a drone strike on a US base in Jordan, the White House said on Friday.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One about the president’s plans after revealing he had spoken by phone with family members of all three fallen troops.
‘He also gauged their feelings about his departure for the worthy transfer and Dover on Friday. They all supported his being there and so the president will go to the dignified handover,” Kirby said
President Joe Biden will attend a dignified handover ceremony at Dover Air Base on Friday as the bodies of three fallen US troops killed in the Jordan drone strike will return to the US
That came after Kirby said Monday he had nothing on Biden’s schedule to discuss, on a day the Pentagon confirmed the identities of the soldiers who fell in the drone strike, which also injured more than 30.
They were Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Sp. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, from Savannah, Georgia.
“The President had the opportunity this morning to speak with the family members of the three service members who were tragically killed in this attack,” Kirby said. “He was grateful for their time. He told them how proud we all are of their service, how we mourn and feel the sadness of their loss – he made sure those families knew that not only would that service and sacrifice be honored and respected, but that they would continue to make the to get the support they need as they work through what no family wants.”
Kirby reiterated his statement that ‘No Blue Star family wants to become a Gold Star family,” after speaking Monday about how “it is hard to imagine the grief they are feeling now and that they will feel for the rest of their lives.”
Biden is preparing to attend the ceremony and take part in public mourning even as he said Tuesday he has decided how the US will respond to the attack, which has prompted calls from some Republicans to give in to Iran to beat.
From left to right: Sp. Kennedy Sanders, Sgt. William Jerome Rivers and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett. The three US Army Reserve soldiers from Georgia were killed by a drone strike on Sunday
Specialist Breonna Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia, was identified as one of the soldiers killed in the drone strike last weekend
Shawn described Sanders, seen here, as the “life of the party” and said she enjoyed her time in the service
Biden says he holds Iran responsible for supplying weapons to militia behind attack as he faces monumental decision on how to hit back
During a speech at the White House, Biden was asked how he knew Iran was responsible for the fatal drone attack on US troops in Jordan last week.
He replied: ‘I hold them responsible in the sense that they are supplying the weapons to the people who did it.’
Asked whether he held Tehran directly responsible, he said: “We will have those conversations.”
Pressed about his own administration’s concerns about the risks of escalation, the president responded: “We’ll see.”
Asked if he has made a decision on how the US will respond, he said: “Yes.”
He added: “I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East, that’s not what I’m looking for.”
When asked by DailyMail.com whether the US had determined who was behind the attack, Kirby replied: “We’re still working on it.” Asked how Biden could have arrived at a response if that were the case, Kirby said, “I have nothing more to add to that.”
Breonna Moffett’s family said the 23-year-old was “nervous” about her first deployment abroad but said she was “loud, loving and always there for anyone.”
Kennedy Ladon Sanders’ family said the 24-year-old was close to Moffet.
Mother Onedia told it Fox news: ‘She made many friends during her military service, even people she did basic training with.
“Breonna Moffet was one of those she became close to. Every time she called me or Facetimed me, Breonna Moffet was always somewhere nearby.”
Her dad Shawn told the outlet, “She was the life of the party. She enjoyed life.
The Pentagon said troops were in a “contained housing unit” in the early hours of Saturday night when the one-way drone struck.
The White House said Tuesday that the administration was still assessing how the drone could attack the base.
The three soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, a U.S. Army reserve unit based at Fort Moore, Georgia.