Army Reserve Georgia soldier killed in Jordan mourned by family and Gov. Kemp at funeral

A casket holding the remains of Army Reserve soldier Staff Sgt. William Jerome Rivers is carried from a church after a funeral service Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Carrollton, Ga. Rivers was one of three Georgia soldiers killed last month in drone attack in Jordan. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Updated at 3:55 p.m.

The flag-draped casket of Staff Sgt. William Jerome Rivers stood at the front of a church Tuesday as Georgia’s governor joined the Army Reserve soldier’s family, uniformed military officers and his pastor from New Jersey who made the trip to say farewell.

More than 100 mourners gathered at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton west of Atlanta as funerals began for three Georgia reservists killed last month in a drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan. Two more funeral services will he held this weekend.