The remains of an Army Reserve combat engineer who was killed in a vehicle rollover in Syria on Friday have been brought back to the United States.
An Army carry team transferred Spc. Antonio I. Moore’s remains to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Tuesday evening. Before Moore’s remains departed the Middle East, fellow soldiers placed their name tapes and unit patches on top of the flag draped over his casket.
Moore, 22, died while conducting route clearance operations in Deir ez Zor Province, Syria. He was assigned to the 363rd Engineer Battalion, 411th Engineer Brigade, out of Knightdale, North Carolina. Moore was a native of Wilmington, which is in the southeastern part of the state.
“The 363rd Engineer Battalion is deeply saddened at the loss of Spec. Antonio Moore,” Lt. Col. Ian Doiron, Moore’s battalion commander, said in a prepared statement. “Antonio was one of the best in our formation. He will be missed by all who served with him. We will now focus on supporting his family and honoring his legacy and sacrifice.”
There was a spike in vehicle rollover fatalities last year, according to data previously obtained by Army Times, sparking some changes in safety initiatives by the service including a “lessons-learned” website for mishaps and exportable safety briefing products.
Moore was a 2016 graduate of John T. Hoggard high school, according to hometown media. He played for four years football. When he wasn’t on the field or studying, he worked as a line cook at a local bar and grill.
“You can see this guy that has this glowing smile and personality, but he also knew when to be very intense and to go get his job done and I think that’s one of the things that lead him to joining to the military," Craig Underwood, the fallen soldier’s football coach, told WECT news.
Moore enlisted in the Army in May 2017 and was previously awarded National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. This was his first deployment.
He is survived by his mother, stepfather, three brothers and one sister.
Moore was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international coalition to ensure the lasting defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
