SAN ANTONIO – A Kerrville man was one of three soldiers killed in Jordan Friday, according to the U.S. Defense Department.
Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, 27, died after his convoy came under fire entering a Jordanian military base, the Defense Department said. He and the other two soldiers were assigned to the 5th Special Operations Group out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky and were in Jordan supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military operation against the Islamic State or ISIS.
Moriarty died along side Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas and Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona.
All three men were Green Berets.
The New York Times reports a Jordanian claim that the three were shot after they didn't stop as they approached a base gate.
However, Moriarty's father, a Houston attorney, thinks they were ambushed.
"These were three of the most qualified well-trained, thoughtful, capable young men that our country trains," said James "Jim" Moriarty.
His family and friends have been trying to cope in the aftermath. To them, he wasn't just Staff Sgt. James Moriarty. He was Jimmy.
"He was an incredibly strong person," said Eugene Terry, "He'd do anything for his friends."
He would also do anything for his country, enlisting against the guidance of his father at the time.
"He just wants to serve other people and serve his country and once he made his decision there was really no going back at that point," said his friend, Zachary Taylor.
Jimmy was funny too. Just days before his death, the soldier and UT alumnus sent a photo of himself sporting a big grin under the brim of a hat that says "Make UT Football Great Again."
"That's the last picture that anyone of us will ever have of Jimmy," his father said.
They will have their memories of a man well worth remembering.
"He was just extraordinary, courageous, diligent, hardworking, and now he's gone," the elder Moriarty said.