CARROLLTON, Ga. — Editor's Note: This article has been updated to provide the correct military rank. Staff Sgt. Rivers was posthumously promoted, according to the U.S. Army Reserve.
Services were held Tuesday morning for Staff Sgt. William Rivers, one of the three soldiers killed last month in a drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan.
All three soldiers killed in the attack were reservists from Georgia, part of the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, from Fort Moore, Ga.
The funeral service for Staff Sgt. Rivers was held at 10 a.m. at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton.
"Staff Sergeant Rivers was more than a fellow soldier. He was a friend, a confident and a beacon of positivity in the darkest of times," General Todd Lazaroski said. "His infectious smile and wisdom were a source of comfort."
He added Staff Sgt. Rivers exemplified the true meaning of leadership and friendship.
"As we mourn his passing, we celebrate his legacy of love, kindness, and professionalism. His memory will forever be etched in our hearts and minds," Lazaroski said. "Let us honor his memory by embodying the same strength, compassion, and unwavering faith that defined his life."
After the service, a procession traveled to Canton for a private burial.
The public was invited to line the procession route along the Hwy. 166 bypass and Bankhead Highway leading away from the church.
Re-watch the service in the video player below:
More about Staff Sgt. William Rivers
Rivers, who was 46 years old and went by Jerome, joined the Army Reserve in New Jersey in 2011 and served a nine-month tour in Iraq in 2018.
According to the Department of Defense, Rivers enlisted “as an Interior Electrician (12R). He was first assigned to the 990th Engineer Company at Fort McGuire-Dix in N.J. after completing advanced individual training. In 2018, Rivers completed a 9-month rotation to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In 2023, Rivers was assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Ga.”
He earned multiple awards and decorations for his service.
The U.S. has launched several strikes in the weeks since the attack inside Syria and Iraq in response to the drone attack, targeting militant groups -- in particular Kata'ib Hezbollah -- under the umbrella of the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq.