President Joe Biden is set to attend the dignified transfer of the three American soldiers killed in Jordan. The soldiers were killed in a drone strike that the U.S. has attributed to Iranian-backed militant groups. The fallen soldiers were all from Georgia: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett. The dignified transfer is a solemn event that is conducted for every U.S. service member who dies in a military operation abroad. During the event, a carry team removes the service members’ flag-draped transfer cases from the aircraft and their remains are then taken to a mortuary facility to be prepared for their final resting places.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden met with the families of the fallen soldiers at the Center for Families of the Fallen at Dover Air Force Base. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was also expected to attend the event. White House officials indicated that retaliation against the Iran-backed groups responsible for the attack would be carried out at the “time and place” of the U.S.’ choosing and could last “weeks.”
In addition to the three soldiers killed, more than 30 other service members were injured when an explosives-packed drone struck the base. President Biden called the soldiers “patriots in the highest sense” and stated that “their ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation.”
The media has not always been allowed to witness dignified transfers. In 2009, the Defense Department changed its policy to allow media access if the family of the military member killed consented. In an interview, Shannon Slutman, who allowed media coverage of her husband’s dignified transfer in 2019, described how it enabled her husband’s former colleagues and other Marines he served with to witness his return. Slutman also praised the care given by the mortuary affairs team at Dover.
