The fourth U.S. soldier reported missing in Lithuania last Tuesday has been confirmed dead, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced in a post on X.
"Our heartfelt condolences go to our U.S. allies and their people," Nausėda wrote. "Lithuania has been praying for all four missing soldiers, and now, with all our hearts, we stand with their families." He expressed gratitude to those involved in the search, which took place under "challenging conditions."
The announcement follows the recovery of three other soldiers' bodies on Monday after their armored vehicle was extracted from a swampy area near Pabradė, a town 10 kilometers west of the Belarusian border. The soldiers, assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, had been participating in military exercises. Their identities have not yet been released pending family notifications.
Massive Search Effort in Difficult Terrain
Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. troops, alongside Polish forces and rescue teams, spent six days scouring dense forests and marshlands near the "General Silvestras Žukauskas" training ground. The operation involved excavating an M88A2 Hercules—an armored recovery vehicle—from a peat bog where it had become submerged.
U.S. Navy divers were deployed to attach cables to the sunken vehicle, working in "thick layers of mud, clay, and sediment with zero visibility," according to a U.S. Army statement. The recovery effort required additional heavy machinery, including bulldozers, excavators, and pumps, as well as hundreds of tons of gravel to stabilize the terrain.
Major General Christopher Norrie, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, calling them "part of our family" and emphasizing that the mission would not end "until everyone is home."
The soldiers went missing on March 25 while conducting a recovery operation for an immobilized tactical vehicle. Their Hercules was discovered submerged the following day.
On Sunday, a memorial mass was held in Vilnius, attended by military officials and Lithuania’s defense minister. "Lithuania mourns together with the American nation," President Nausėda wrote.