Fourth missing U.S. soldier confirmed dead in Lithuania

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday confirmed the deaths of all four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing last week during a training exercise in Lithuania. The President and White House staff were praying for their families, she said. Searchers found the fourth soldier’s body on Tuesday afternoon, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa. Three of the soldiers’ bodies were discovered on Monday inside their vehicle, which was submerged in a peat bog.

How did the week-long search and recovery unfold? The soldiers were participating in a scheduled training exercise to rescue another vehicle during the dark, early hours of Tuesday, March 25. The U.S. Army and Lithuanian authorities have begun an investigation into how the fatal incident occurred. Dive teams and engineers winched the soldiers’ 63-ton M88 Hercules vehicle out of the bog early Monday after a recovery effort that lasted six days and nights. U.S. Navy divers maneuvered through mud and clay with zero visibility to attach steel cables to the vehicle, the Army said. The divers searched the area for the fourth soldier using radar provided by Lithuania until the soldier’s body was found. Lithuanian Armed Forces and engineers contributed equipment and expertise to the search. The Polish and Estonian Armed Forces also assisted in the complicated operation.

The Archbishop Metropolitan of Vilnius, Gintaras Grušas, led a Mass on Sunday to pray for the soldiers and recovery efforts. NATO soldiers and senior military leaders attended.

Who were the deceased soldiers? The soldiers’ identities had not yet been released on Tuesday morning. All three found Monday were young, said Maj. Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė.

The deceased were all members of the Army 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and permanently stationed in Fort Stewart, Ga. Commanding Gen. Christopher Norrie said he was grieving along with their families. 

How did the incident happen? The soldiers were participating in a scheduled training exercise to rescue another vehicle during the dark, early hours of March 25. The U.S. Army and Lithuanian authorities were investigating how the incident occurred.