Three U.S. Army soldiers were found dead in Lithuania following a days-long multinational effort to recover their armored vehicle from a peat bog, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Public Affairs office announced on March 31.
The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, and were deployed as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a U.S.-led mission supporting NATO allies.
The Army confirmed that the soldiers were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Their names are being withheld pending notification of their families.
They went missing in the early hours of March 25 while operating an M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle during a mission to tow a disabled tactical vehicle. Their remains were discovered after the M88A2 was extracted from a submerged position in the early hours of March 31.
A fourth soldier remains missing while search and recovery operations are ongoing.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, commanding general of the Third Infantry Division, said the loss was felt across the entire division.
“The soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just soldiers—they were a part of our family. Our hearts are heavy with a sorrow that echoes across the whole Marne Division, both forward and at home,” he said in a statement. “But the search isn’t finished until everyone is home.”
The vehicle was located submerged in the water shortly after the soldiers went missing, but the recovery operation proved difficult because of the 63-ton vehicle’s location in unstable, muddy ground.
It took six days, involving hundreds of U.S. and allied servicemembers, to extract it. Lithuanian forces provided helicopters, aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, heavy equipment, and more than 200 tons of gravel and earth to stabilize the area for the recovery, according to the Army.
U.S. Navy divers assigned to Commander, Task Force 68, braved zero visibility and thick layers of mud to attach recovery cables. The extraction required the combined force of two additional M88A2s and several bulldozers working for hours to winch the vehicle from the bog.
Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of Task Force Iron and the First Armored Division, praised the coalition effort and expressed remorse over the loss of life.
“The loss of these soldiers weighs heavy on me, the hearts of all Task Force Iron service members, and the 3rd Infantry Division,” he said.
He said the search and rescue effort was not complete and that they will continue until they “bring all of [the] soldiers home.”
Col. James Armstrong, commander of the 1st Armored Brigade, said the Raider Brigade is “heartbroken over the tragic loss” and extended thanks to all who supported the operation.
“We will never forget the dedication, commitment, and teamwork that enabled us to recover our soldiers and provide closure for their families,” he said. “We are truly stronger together.”
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also expressed his condolences in a post on social media platform X.
“It is with deep sadness and sorrow that I received the news of the tragic loss of three U.S. soldiers during a U.S.-led training exercise in Lithuania. The search and rescue operation will continue until the fourth soldier is found,” he wrote. “Lithuania mourns together with the American nation.”
A mass to pray for the search effort was held at Vilnius Cathedral on March 30, attended by American, German, and Lithuanian troops, as well as senior officials from Lithuania, NATO, and the United States, including Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
A spokesperson for the White House did not return a request for comment from The Epoch Times before publication time.
