This is the story of two soldiers.

The first soldier was born in Savannah, Georgia. Went to school at Windsor Forest High School. Was really good at math and science. Led the school band as Drum Major. The soldier was a natural leader, with an electric smile.

The second soldier was also from Georgia. After high school, the second soldier attended college, but then dropped out and was looking for a new opportunity.

The two soldiers each joined the U.S. Army Reserves, and were assigned to the 718^th Engineer Company, 926^th Engineer Battalion, 926 Engineer Brigade out of Fort Moore, near Columbus GA. They were trained in heavy earth-moving equipment such as bulldozers, graders, backhoes, and front-loaders. Along the way, they became best friends.

On August, 2023, they were deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve to a dangerous place in need of skilled construction professionals. They helped build defenses designed to keep terrorists from overrunning civilian and military installations. Their tour was expected to last one year.

They were stationed at a place called Tower 22, located at the extreme northeast corner of Jordan, along the border with Syria and Iraq. They lived together with several dozen other soldiers in something called a ‘container housing unit.’ When they weren’t working, they goofed off, called home to their families together, and uploaded TikTok videos making fun of the military food.

In the early morning of January 28, their living quarters were struck by an armed enemy drone. Both were killed instantly, along with one other soldier. Forty other soldiers were injured, including eight who needed hospitalization.

The death of the two soldiers revealed the largest and fastest-growing index of soldiers in the American military: they were young African-American women with few other opportunities.

The first soldier was Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23. She was the eldest of four children of Percell and Francine Moffett. She hoped her construction experience in the military might lead to a career in Real Estate. Her mother has said, “She was just the light of everything. She just walked in the room and she just commanded attention. That was her smile. When she smiled you smiled. She was just a very beautiful, smart, intelligent young lady. She just loved her friends. She just loved life.”

The second soldier was Kennedy Sanders, 24, the daughter of Shawn and Oneida Sanders. She was saving up money to buy a house. Her father said, “I was proud of her service. I was proud of her being a young lady, a young woman, and the choices she had made so far. And we were looking forward to years and years of just being together.”

Both families were informed via condolence call with President Biden that their daughters had been posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Sergeant Moffett and Sergeant Sanders will arrive in the United States together today at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where they will be received by their families and the President.