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WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2016 — The Pentagon on Sunday identified three Green
Berets killed in a shooting outside a military base in Jordan.
The Defense Dept. reported that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of
Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and
27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, died Friday after their
convoy came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base in Jafr.
The Defense Department is investigating.
The soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort
Campbell, Kentucky, and were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
Lewellen’s family said in a statement to The Kirksville Daily Express he was raised
in Kirksville, Missouri, and was a “born leader, a true American.” They said his
military awards included the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal.
Jordan is a key U.S. ally and member of a U.S-led military coalition fighting the
Islamic State terror group, which controls parts of neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Shots were fired as a car carrying the Americans tried to enter the al-Jafr base at
about noon local time on Friday, military officials in the U.S. and Jordan said.
A Jordanian officer was also wounded, Jordanian officials said. It was not clear what
prompted the shooting.
Jordan faces a significant homegrown terror threat, with hundreds of Jordanians
fighting alongside ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more
supporting the extremist group in the kingdom.
Last November, a Jordanian police captain opened fire in an international police
training facility, killing two Americans and three others. The government
subsequently portrayed the police captain as troubled.
The U.S. has spent millions of dollars to help the kingdom fortify its borders.