1,000 Rescuers Bring Two Missing U.S. Soldiers Home

When two U.S. soldiers went missing off Morocco's coast during a training exercise, more than 1,000 American and Moroccan personnel launched one of the largest search operations in recent memory to bring them home.

Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, and 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. disappeared May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area during African Lion 26, a joint military exercise. Recovery teams searched day and night across more than 21,300 square kilometers of sea and coastal zones.

U.S. Air Force pararescuemen, Moroccan military mountaineers, and Moroccan Civil Protection worked side by side in challenging conditions. The combined team located Spc. Collington May 12 in a coastal cave roughly 500 meters from where both soldiers reportedly entered the ocean.

The search effort showcased the depth of the U.S.-Morocco partnership. Teams deployed unmanned aerial systems, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, surface vessels, dive teams, and ground search elements, repositioning daily based on real-time analysis.

Collington, from Tavares, Florida, served as an air and missile defense crewmember with Charlie Battery in Ansbach, Germany. Her commander, Capt. Spencer Grider, remembered her as an outstanding soldier whose enthusiasm and positive spirit uplifted everyone around her. She had just been promoted to specialist May 1, one day before the incident.

The Ripple Effect

The recovery operation demonstrated how strong international partnerships save lives and support families during the hardest moments. Morocco's government committed every available resource, showing unwavering dedication to bringing the two soldiers home.

"They were with us during a difficult time, tireless, determined, and compassionate," said Gen. Christopher Donahue, Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The partnership's strength shone through in the moroccan helicopter transport, the dignified carry ceremony, and the joint honor given to both soldiers.

Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported the remains to Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim. On the evening of May 12, Moroccan and U.S. forces conducted a dignified carry ceremony at the military airport, honoring both fallen soldiers before they began their final journey home aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130J.

Though the loss weighs heavy on the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the mission's success brought closure to grieving families and showed the world what allied nations can accomplish together when they refuse to leave anyone behind.