The Army has discovered the body of one of two soldiers who went missing during a military exercise in Morocco a week ago.
Morocco – The remains of an American soldier Disappeared during military exercises in Morocco Found in the Atlantic a week ago, army said Sunday. Military teams are still searching for the second missing soldier.
The remains belong to 14A Air Defense Artillery officer Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., one of two U.S. soldiers who fell off a cliff while on a recreational hike in Morocco. He was 27 years old.
The two men were reported missing after participating in the annual multinational military exercise African Lion in Morocco on May 2.
“At approximately 8:55 a.m. local time on May 9, a Moroccan military search team discovered the soldier in the water along the coastline, less than a mile from where the two soldiers allegedly entered the ocean,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.
According to the Moroccan military, the pair disappeared around 9pm near the Cap Draa training area outside Tan-Tan, an area characterized by mountains, desert and semi-desert plains.
Their disappearance triggered a search and rescue operation involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco and other military partners. The operation deployed frigates, ships, helicopters and drones.
The search for the second missing soldier will continue, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to speak publicly about the issue.
A U.S. contingent remained in Morocco after the drills ended on Friday, providing command and control and continuing search and rescue operations, the official said.
The Army said the key is assigned to Battery Charlie, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. His decorations include the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
He enlisted as an officer candidate in 2023 and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in 2024 as an air defense artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the statement said.
Exercise Africa Lion 26 is a US-led exercise launched in April in four countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal, with more than 7,000 personnel from more than 30 countries participating. This is the largest joint military exercise conducted by the United States in Africa since 2004.
In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured in a helicopter crash while participating in an exercise in the southern Moroccan city of Agadir.
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