Fourth US soldier missing in Lithuania swamp found dead, President Nausėda says
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The fourth US solider who went missing in Lithuania last Tuesday has been confirmed dead.
Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausėda made the announcement in a post on X, saying "our heartfelt condolences go to our US allies and their people."
"Lithuania has been praying for all four missing soldiers, and now, with all our hearts, we stand with their families," Nausėda said.
"We are deeply grateful to everyone who dedicated immense efforts to find the one remaining soldier still missing under such challenging conditions."
The announcement comes after three of the four missing service personnel were found dead on Monday after their armoured vehicle was pulled from a swampy area.
The first three bodies were recovered after a massive six-day effort by US, Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities to dig the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive "General Silvestras Žukauskas" training ground in the town of Pabradė.
Recovery efforts continue for four missing US soldiers near the spot where their Hercules vehicle was found submerged at a training range in Pabradė, 28 March, 2025
AP Photo
The soldiers had been on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing early on Tuesday, the US Army said.
The command in a statement said the identities of the 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division soldiers were being withheld pending family notifications.
"We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary 'Dogface Soldiers' during this unimaginable time," said Major General Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commander.
Hundreds of Lithuanian and US soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradė, 10 kilometres west of the border with Belarus.
The armoured Hercules vehicle was discovered on Wednesday submerged in 4.5 metres of water.
Lithuanian armed forces provided military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and search and rescue personnel.
They brought in additional excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts and several hundred tons of gravel and earth to help the recovery.
US Navy divers were able to manoeuvre through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment "with zero visibility" to reach the 63-tonne vehicle on Sunday evening and find two points to attach steel cables, according to the command.
German Army soldiers light candles in memory of three soldiers found dead on Monday at a training range in Pabradė, 1 April, 2025
AP Photo
The command said that during the effort to pull the vehicle out of the bog, it began to lose traction, so additional heavy dozers were brought in and attached to provide additional grip.
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The vehicle was pulled free after about two hours, the command said.
The US Army and Lithuanian authorities are currently investigating what led to the Hercules sinking into the swamp.
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