Final Fort Stewart soldier who died during training exercise in Lithuania identified
Officials identified SSgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan as the last soldier who died. His body was recovered on Tuesday.
U.S. Army officials previously identified Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois, Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.
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'Although we are relieved to have found all our Dogface Soldiers, it does not make the pain of their loss any less,' said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Inf. Div. commanding general.
Knutson-Collins was an artillery mechanic and spent seven years in the Army. He arrived at Fort Stewart in Feb. 2018 and was previously deployed to Korea.
'The pain we feel from this loss is insurmountable,' said Lt. Col. Erick Buckner, 1st Bn., 41st FAR commander. 'Staff Sgt. Knutson-Collins was well loved throughout our unit and a brother to all. He was an expert, an incredibly talented mechanic and a warrior. We will never forget his dedication to his unit, his family and his country.'
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The soldiers disappeared on March 25 in their M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle in the town of Pabradė, Lithuania.
A search discovered the vehicle submerged in a swamp on March 26, and several agencies assisted in the days-long effort to remove it.
Knutson-Collins, Duenez and Franco have all been posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
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