Body of Missing U.S. Soldier Recovered Off Morocco's Coast

The body of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 27-year-old U.S. Army officer, was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean near Morocco's southern coast, the U.S. Army announced on Sunday. Key was one of two soldiers who went missing on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area, outside the city of Tan-Tan.

According to preliminary reports, the incident occurred during a recreational hike when one soldier, who could not swim, fell into the ocean. A second soldier attempted a rescue but was struck by a wave.

Key's remains were found by a Moroccan military search team on May 9 at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time, about a mile from the initial incident site.

Search operations for the second missing soldier are ongoing, involving over 600 personnel from the U.S., Morocco, and other partner nations.

Key, from Richmond, Virginia, served as an air defense artillery officer with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. He joined the military in 2023 and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in 2024.

Brigadier General Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, stated that Key's colleagues are "grieving" and will "continue to support one another" as well as the soldier's family "as we honor his life and service."

African Lion 26, the annual multinational military exercise in which the soldiers were participating, is the largest U.S.-led military exercise in Africa, involving over 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations.