U.S. Soldier’s Stays Uncovered After Tragic Mountaineering Accident
The remains of a missing U.S. Army officer who was killed during a tragic hiking accident in Morocco have been recovered, the Pentagon confirmed in a statement.
The remains of U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. were recovered near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, in southwestern Morocco. Key Jr. and a fellow soldier, who has yet to be identified by the Pentagon, were reported missing after participating in scheduled training activities that had concluded for the day.
According to U.S. military officials, the soldiers were off duty and on a recreational hike when they entered the Atlantic Ocean near ocean cliffs in the area. The Cap Draa Training Area features mountainous terrain mixed with desert and semidesert plains. Initial reports indicated the soldiers fell from a cliff into the water, though the precise sequence of events remains under investigation. The incident was not related to terrorism or any hostile activity.
The training exercises, African Lion 26, consisted of a U.S.-led joint military exercise involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations, took place across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal earlier this year. It was the largest such U.S. exercise in Africa since 2004. The war games officially concluded on May 7, but a U.S. contingent remained in Morocco to support command and control functions and to assist in the search-and-rescue operations.
A Moroccan military search team located the remains of 1st Lt. Key on May 9 at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time. The discovery was made in the water along the shoreline, within roughly one mile of the location where both soldiers had reportedly entered the ocean, the Pentagon confirmed.
Morocco — U.S. Army officials confirm the body of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. has been found along the shoreline near Cap Draa.
Key went missing May 2 during an off-duty hike while in the country for Exercise African Lion 2026.
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Key, 27, was from Richmond, Virginia, and served as a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer and platoon leader assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate, earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2024, and completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, according to a Pentagon press release.
“Today, we mourn the loss of 1st Lt. Kendrick Key, whose remains were recovered in Morocco. Our hearts are with his Family, friends, teammates, and all who knew and served alongside him. The 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Family is grieving, and we will continue to support one another and 1st Lt. Key’s Family as we honor his life and service,” said Brigadier General Curtis King, the commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
The remains were transported by helicopter to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, Morocco. Plans are underway to repatriate the remains to the United States, and the soldier’s relatives have been notified.
The identity of the second missing soldier has not been publicly released. Search-and-rescue operations for that individual continue. More than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civil personnel have participated in the effort, which has included ground, air, and maritime assets.
Search efforts remain ongoing as of this report.