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US soldier remains recovered from the Atlantic Ocean after going missing in Morocco.
The remains of a 27-year-old US Army officer were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean nine days after he and another soldier fell off a cliff during an off-duty hike in Morocco. The second soldier is still missing.
1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key, Jr.U.S. Army Europe and Africa
He had made it through the exercise. The drills were done. He was off duty.
Then he went for a hike. And he never came back.
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1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. was 27 years old, a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer who fell off a cliff during a recreational hike in Morocco while off duty. He was from Richmond, Virginia.
His remains were found nine days later in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly one mile from where he and a second soldier reportedly entered the water.
The second soldier is still missing.
Both men were reported missing on May 2 after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise held in Morocco. They went missing around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area.
The terrain around that area is not forgiving. The region outside Tan-Tan is characterized by mountains, desert and semi-desert plains. A cliff at night in that landscape leaves almost no margin for error.
What followed was one of the largest search operations in the region in recent memory.
More than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco and other military partners were deployed. Frigates, vessels, helicopters and drones were all part of the operation. For nine days they searched the Atlantic coastline.
A Moroccan military search team found Key in the water along the shoreline at approximately 8:55 a.m. on May 9, within roughly one mile of where both soldiers reportedly entered the ocean.
He was confirmed. The search for the second soldier continues.
If you have followed this far, here is the part that makes this harder to process.
Key entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2024. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
He had been a commissioned officer for less than two years.
Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 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 survived training. He survived the exercise. He went for a walk on his own time and fell off a cliff in the dark.
There is no enemy here. No combat. No mission gone wrong. Just two soldiers on a hike, a cliff, and the Atlantic Ocean waiting below.
One family in Richmond has their answer now. Another family is still waiting.
A US contingent has remained in Morocco as search efforts continue for the second missing soldier. The operation has not been called off.
Somewhere along that coastline, between the mountains and the desert and the water, a search team is still looking.
Editor's Note: The death of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. is a reminder that the dangers facing US service members extend beyond the battlefield. As the search for the second soldier continues, both families and a military community are left mourning a loss that happened not in conflict, but on a quiet evening off duty in Morocco.
