3 American soldiers deceased after US armored vehicle pulled from Lithuanian swamp

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Three American soldiers were declared deceased connected Monday aft crews successful Lithuania retrieved the M88 Hercules armored betterment conveyance they were traveling in, which sank successful a swamp past week.

The announcement came arsenic hunt and betterment efforts are ongoing for a 4th worker adjacent Pabradė, Lithuania, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

"Three U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were recovered deceased successful Lithuania today, March 31. The soldiers, whose identities are being withheld pending notification of adjacent of kin, went missing successful the aboriginal greeting hours of March 25 successful their M88A2 Hercules armored betterment conveyance portion conducting a ngo to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle," U.S. Army Europe and Africa said successful a statement.

"The M88A2 was removed from the peat bog aboriginal Monday morning, March 31, aft a six-day-long effort that required tremendous resources from Lithuania, our steadfast ally, and hundreds of work members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces – on with different elements from the Lithuanian authorities and civilian agencies – to lick the engineering situation of recovering the 63-ton-vehicle from an country surrounded by unstable crushed conditions," it added.

US ARMORED VEHICLE PULLED FROM LITHUANIAN SWAMP

Rescuers are seen connected Sunday, March 30, attempting to retrieve the M88 Hercules. (U.S. Army Europe and Africa)

Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll wrote connected X Monday that "We volition not remainder until the 4th and last Soldier is recovered and brought home.

"No words tin genuinely seizure the symptom of this loss, but my deepest condolences spell retired to the families, friends, and chap soldiers mourning their heroes," helium said.

"The soldiers we person mislaid successful this calamity were not conscionable soldiers – they were a portion of our family. Our hearts are dense with a sorrow that echoes crossed the full Marne Division, some guardant and astatine home," added Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commanding general.

The Army said "Lithuanian equipped forces provided subject helicopters, fixed helping aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, and hunt and rescue unit instantly to articulation the effort, and implicit the series of days brought successful excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, different dense operation equipment, method experts, and respective 100 tons of gravel and world to alteration the recovery."

U.S. soldiers commune for missing soldiers successful Lithuania

U.S. soldiers commune arsenic they be a Holy Mass for the 4 U.S. soldiers who went missing during exercises conducted by the United States astatine the Pabrade grooming ground, astatine the Cathedral Basilica successful Vilnius, Lithuania, connected Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP/Mindaugas Kulbis)

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Monday, "It is with heavy sadness and sorrow that I received the quality of the tragic nonaccomplishment of 3 U.S. soldiers during a US-led grooming workout successful Lithuania."

In a station connected X, Nausėda tagged President Donald Trump and wrote, "Lithuania mourns unneurotic with the American nation.

"Please judge my heartfelt condolences, arsenic good arsenic those of the Lithuanian people, to you, the loved ones of those who mislaid their lives, and each the radical of the United States of America," helium continued.

LITHUANIAN, POLISH TROOPS AID IN ‘SEARCH AND RECOVERY’ FOR 4 MISSING US SOLDIERS FROM FORT STEWART

U.S. Army Europe and Africa released this representation precocious Sunday showing efforts to retrieve the sunken conveyance adjacent Pabradė, Lithuania. (U.S. Army Europe and Africa)

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė announced connected Facebook earlier this greeting that "The armored conveyance was pulled ashore astatine 4:40 a.m., the towing cognition is complete, Lithuanian Military Police and U.S. investigators proceed their work," according to the Associated Press.

"The soldiers were deployed to Lithuania successful enactment of Operation Atlantic Resolve, and were permanently stationed astatine Fort Stewart, Georgia," according to the Army.

"U.S. Navy divers assigned to Commander, Task Force 68 assisted the betterment squad with uncovering and accessing 2 hoist points Sunday evening. They maneuvered done heavy layers of mud, clay, and sediment with zero visibility to scope the conveyance and hook alloy cables that were attached to 2 M88A2 Hercules," it added. "Partway done the extraction the M88A2s began to suffer traction, truthful respective dozers were attached to supply further grip. It took astir 2 hours of winching to region the M88A2 from the bog.

The soldiers archetypal disappeared aboriginal Tuesday. The adjacent day, the M88 Hercules was discovered successful a peat bog and was "assessed to beryllium astir 4 meters beneath the water’s aboveground and encased successful astir 2 meters of mud," U.S. Army Europe and Africa besides said.