CASABLANCA, Morocco — In a tragic development, the U.S. Army announced Sunday that the body of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean. The young soldier had been missing for a week following a mishap during a recreational hike in Morocco. Efforts are still underway to locate a second soldier who also went missing.
1st Lt. Key, an Air Defense Artillery officer aged 27, was one of two U.S. soldiers who fell off a cliff while hiking near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan. The area, known for its challenging terrain of mountains, desert, and semidesert plains, became the focus of an intensive search when the soldiers disappeared on May 2.
The soldiers were participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise hosted in Morocco. Their disappearance prompted a large-scale search-and-rescue operation, coordinated by the U.S., Moroccan forces, and other allied military personnel. The operation involved over 600 personnel and utilized various resources, including frigates, vessels, helicopters, and drones.
On May 9, at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time, a Moroccan military search team discovered Lt. Key’s remains in the ocean, about a mile from where the soldiers had reportedly fallen into the water. The search continues for the second missing soldier, underscoring the dangers faced by military personnel even during off-duty moments.
The two went missing around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a terrain characterized by mountains, desert and semidesert plains, according to the Moroccan military.
Their disappearance triggered a search-and-rescue operation involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco and other military partners. The operation deployed frigates, vessels, helicopters and drones.
Search efforts will continue for the missing second soldier, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly on the issue.
The official said a U.S. contingent remained in Morocco after the war games ended Friday to provide command and control and to continue search and rescue operations.
Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the army said. His decorations include the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2024 as an Air Defense Artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, according to the statement.
African Lion 26, is a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – with more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations. Since 2004, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa.
In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured during a helicopter crash in Morocco’s southern city of Agadir while taking part in the exercises.
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