3 U.S. Soldiers Found Dead in Lithuania; Search for 4th Still Ongoing Nearly 1 Week After Their Vehicle Sank

The bodies of three U.S. soldiers have been recovered, and the search for another is ongoing nearly a week after they went missing while on a training mission in Lithuania, Army officials said.

The soldiers’ identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin, the Army said in a news release on Monday, March 31.

Search and recovery efforts continue for the remaining fourth soldier.

The soldiers — from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division — went missing in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 25, in their M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle. They were conducting a mission to “repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle,” officials said.

One day later, their vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water.

On Monday, the 63-ton vehicle was removed from a peat bog after a six-day recovery effort that involved hundreds of service members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces, officials added.

The Lithuanian government and civilian agencies were also involved in the recovery, which posed an engineering challenge due to the weight of the vehicle and the area’s unstable ground conditions.

“The soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just soldiers, they were a part of our family,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Inf. Div. commanding general, said. “We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary ‘Dogface Soldiers’ during this unimaginable time.”

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Norrie continued, “But 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.”

The U.S. Army and Lithuanian officials are investigating the cause of the accident.

The soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga.

"The Raider family is heartbroken over the tragic loss of our Soldiers. We are ensuring we provide the needed support to their families and our Soldiers as we go through this grieving process,” Col. James Armstrong, 1st Armored Brigade Commander, said. “We are an incredibly tight-knit family, and their absence is keenly felt, and we will hold them close in our memories. I want to extend my personal thanks to everyone who assisted in the search and recovery efforts.”