Editor’s Note: After publication, U.S. Army Europe and Africa Public Affairs contacted The Salty Soldier and directly clarified the sequence of events near Cap Draa, Morocco. At the time this article was published, The Salty Soldier had not located any official Army press release or publicly available article explicitly assigning the named sequence of events to the two soldiers, despite AI-generated summaries stating which soldier attempted to rescue the other as definitive fact while citing CBS News reporting and Army press releases that did not explicitly contain those named assignments.
The U.S. Army has now recovered and identified both soldiers who went missing off the coast of Morocco during African Lion 26, but major questions still remain unanswered about exactly what happened in the water that night — despite growing online claims presenting speculation as fact.
The Army confirmed the recovery of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, of Richmond, Virginia, and Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, of Tavares, Florida, after an extensive multinational search operation near the Cap Draa Training Area in southern Morocco.
According to official Army statements, both soldiers disappeared May 2 near the Atlantic coastline while participating in African Lion 26. Moroccan and U.S. military forces launched a massive recovery operation involving air, maritime, and ground assets.
Key’s remains were recovered May 9 approximately one mile from where the soldiers reportedly entered the ocean, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Collington’s remains were later recovered May 12 from a coastal cave roughly 1,600 feet from the reported entry point. The Army said difficult ocean conditions and terrain complicated the search effort.
But while the recovery effort has concluded, the actual sequence of events remains publicly unclear.
Several media outlets — and increasingly, AI-generated summaries online — have stated or implied that Key entered the water to rescue Collington after she fell. However, no official Army press release reviewed by The Salty Soldier explicitly confirms that version of events.
In fact, multiple reports specifically acknowledge the uncertainty.
CBS News reported that defense officials said one soldier fell into the water and another jumped in to attempt a rescue, but the outlet also noted it remained unclear whether Key was the first soldier to enter the water or the rescuer.
Task & Purpose similarly reported that one soldier fell into the ocean and two others attempted a rescue, but stated it was “unclear if Key was the first soldier to fall into the water.”
The official Army releases themselves avoid assigning a rescue sequence altogether. The May 10 Army Europe and Africa statement only says both soldiers “reportedly entered the ocean.”
Likewise, the Army’s May 13 release identifying Collington does not state who entered the water first or whether either soldier died attempting to rescue the other.
That distinction matters because online retellings are already hardening speculation into accepted fact.
Some AI-generated summaries now definitively claim that Key “jumped in second to save Collington,” even though publicly available reporting has not established that sequence. At this time, the available official reporting supports only that:
- both soldiers entered the water,
- at least one rescue attempt occurred,
- and a third soldier reportedly survived after also entering the water during rescue efforts.
The Army has not publicly released a detailed timeline, investigative findings, or identified which soldier initially fell or entered the ocean.
The Salty Soldier has reached out to Army media officials requesting clarification on the sequence of events and whether any valor or lifesaving awards are being considered for those involved in the attempted rescue and recovery efforts.
African Lion is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual multinational military exercise, involving thousands of personnel from the United States, Morocco, NATO allies, and African partner nations.
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