The body of a fourth U.S. Army soldier was found in Lithuania Tuesday, a week after he and his crew mates went missing during a training exercise.
The discovery came a day after the bodies of three other soldiers who were members of an M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle crew were located in a forest near the city of Pabrade, close to the Lithuanian border with Russian ally Belarus.
All four men are believed to have drowned in the peat bog in which their armored vehicle got stuck, but the cause of the accident remains under investigation, the Army said in a news release.
M88A2s weigh about 70 tons and are used to tow tanks and other disabled armored vehicles.
The crew had been deployed to repair and tow an immobilized vehicle in the early hours of March 25 when they went missing, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“This is another stark reminder of the selfless sacrifice of our brave military men and women who risk their lives around the world every day to keep us safe,” she said. “God bless them.”
📹 WH confirms fourth US soldier found dead during military drills in Lithuania pic.twitter.com/PAfJwHa6gX
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 1, 2025
The deceased soldiers were all part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart in Georgia, but on a deployment in Europe.
The BBC reported that it took two M88A2s, plus bulldozers, to drag their sunken vehicle out of the swamp on Monday.
After several days, the M88 Hercules recovery vehicle, which was submerged in a swamp in Lithuania, was finally retrieved. An accident occurred due to a terrain miscalculation during the exercises. Sadly, the four-member crew did not survive, as they were unable to escape the… pic.twitter.com/RRzsvWvhyw
— $COLON (@GoBasedColon) April 1, 2025
“This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a statement.
“Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.”
The fourth U.S. Army Soldier assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division was found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania the afternoon of April 1.https://t.co/Bzl1igHWMQ pic.twitter.com/Zy8FhLj1Rp
— 3rd Infantry Division (@3rd_Infantry) April 1, 2025
Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, stated, “First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our Soldiers.
“I can’t say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us,” he added. “We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies — and our own Sailors, Airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers — have enabled us to find and bring home our Soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.”
Mourners gathered at the US Embassy in Lithuania on April 1 to honor four American soldiers who died after their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle became submerged in a peat bog during a training exercise. pic.twitter.com/PUFuFoXtji
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) April 1, 2025
Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, V Corps commanding general, added, “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.”
The New York Post reported that about 16,000 American soldiers have been training in the Baltic border region, clearly to send a message to Russia that the U.S. will stand by its NATO allies.
The deceased soldiers’ names were being withheld until family members were notified.
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