Update: Three American soldiers were declared deceased on Monday after the M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle sank in a swamp in Lithuania last week was recovered.
“Three U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were found deceased in Lithuania today, March 31. The soldiers, whose identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25 in their M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the search and recovery for a fourth soldier continues, officials said. The soldiers’ names have not been released.
“The M88A2 was removed from the peat bog early Monday morning, March 31, after a six-day-long effort that required tremendous resources from Lithuania, our steadfast ally, and hundreds of service members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces – along with other elements from the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies – to solve the engineering challenge of recovering the 63-ton-vehicle from an area surrounded by unstable ground conditions,” it added.
“The search isn’t finished until everyone is home. Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commanding general.
6:45 AM EST – A U.S. Army M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle that disappeared during a training exercise in Lithuania has been retrieved from a swamp after a six-day search, but the fate of the four soldiers who were on board remains unknown, Lithuanian officials told the AP on Monday.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė confirmed the recovery of the vehicle early Monday morning. “The armored vehicle was pulled ashore at 4:40 am, the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian military police and U.S. investigators continue their work,” she stated in a Facebook post.
Šakalienė urged the public to remain calm and respectful of the concerns of the missing soldiers’ families.
The vehicle was discovered submerged in approximately five meters of water after it went missing last week. The four soldiers, whose identities have not been released, disappeared while on a mission to recover another U.S. Army vehicle as part of a scheduled training exercise near Pabradė, Lithuania.
The missing soldiers are assigned to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Rescue efforts have been extensive, involving cranes, a large-capacity pump, and more than 30 tonnes of gravel to stabilize the area and extract the vehicle. Initial attempts to reach the submerged Hercules on Saturday were hindered by a dense layer of mud. U.S. Navy divers later managed to attach hoist lines to the vehicle, allowing engineers to secure it and prevent further sinking.
Despite these efforts, the soldiers remain unaccounted for. Lithuanian authorities and U.S. military officials continue their search, utilizing helicopters equipped with thermal vision and personnel on the ground. Šakalienė acknowledged the difficult conditions, noting that the surrounding area resembles the bogs and swamps of Alaska, further complicating rescue operations.
A mass was held Sunday at Vilnius Cathedral in honor of the missing soldiers. The service was attended by U.S. troops, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli, and U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Kara McDonald. Archbishop Gintaras Grušas led prayers, including a reading in English.
Brigadier General John Lloyd, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division, emphasized the difficulties of the recovery mission, citing the weight of the 70-ton vehicle and the unstable terrain. Additional resources, including a Rapidly Available Interface for Trans-loading (RAIL) system, are being deployed to assist with stabilization and excavation efforts.
Major General Curtis Taylor, the commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, expressed his concern for the missing soldiers and their families, stating, “This tragic situation weighs heavily on all of us, and we’re keeping the families, friends, and teammates of our soldiers in our thoughts and prayers. We will not stop until our soldiers are found.”
President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that he had not yet been briefed about the missing soldiers.
Lithuania, a NATO member, has pledged its full support in the search efforts, with Šakalienė affirming that “American soldiers are our own, and we will not leave them behind.”
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