On Monday, the U.S. military reported that they had discovered three of their soldiers deceased inside an armored vehicle. This occurred when the vehicle was retrieved from a marshy area close to the town of Pabradė in eastern Lithuania.
The identities of the three soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, have remained undisclosed until their families were informed, officials stated.
The fourth soldier from the same battalion remains unaccounted for as search and rescue operations persist.
Here’s what we currently understand regarding the event and the ongoing search for the final remaining U.S. service member.
At what point did the soldiers disappear?
The four soldiers were initially reported as missing last Tuesday. The US Army learned that both they and their M88 Hercules vehicle had disappeared within the extensive “General Silvestras Žukauskas” training area in east Lithuania.
The M88 Hercules, manufactured starting in 1961 with multiple versions and deployed during conflicts such as those in Vietnam and Iraq, is an extensive armored unit created for recovering tanks and other substantial gear from combat zones.
The 1st Brigade was carrying out “gunnery tables,” which consist of various drills aimed at assessing a unit’s capability to execute a mission, when a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, also known as an Oshkosh, became immobile.
“The Hercules was sent to retrieve that vehicle,” stated Major Nicholas “Nuke” Chopp, a spokesperson for US Army Europe and Africa, to Euronews.
At some point during their journey towards the vehicle, they came across a body of water and went into it. What happened after that remains unknown.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte initially suggested that the four soldiers had been found deceased, however, the alliance later corrected his statement and announced that the search efforts were still continuing.
Following the disappearance of the soldiers, the Lithuanian armed forces and police initiated a collaborative search effort alongside the U.S. military.
Hundreds of rescuers searched through thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradė, some 10 kilometres west of the border with Belarus.
How was the vehicle found?
Following a three-day search, an American soldier located the M88 Hercules that the troops had been traveling in, which was submerged beneath at least five meters of water, muddy clay, and silt.
A large number of both local and international forces along with other rescuers, featuring Polish engineering units and U.S. Navy divers, were dispatched to the location for recovering the trapped vehicle.
The Lithuanian divers arrived quickly as well, according to Chopp. He praised Lithuania saying, “It’s been absolutely incredible; it feels like the whole nation is working cohesively to bring their troops back.” Additionally, he mentioned that both the defense minister and the prime minister of this Baltic state visited the location to assist with supporting the rescue operation.
After the Hercules was located, rescuers needed to navigate through the thick mud to access the vehicle initially. Chopp mentioned, “The divers weren’t really swimming; instead, they were essentially grappling their way through.”
The M88 Hercules, weighing around 70 tons, charged into the bog with speed, as Chopp described. He added, “Due to both the velocity and gravity, it kept sinking deeper into the muck.”
The rescue operations subsequently centered on extracting the vehicle. Chopp stated, “We can’t claim we were certain we could do it; at first, they calculated that around 600 tons of force would be required to pull the Hercules out of the mire.”
The effort encountered difficulties once more when two Hercules units along with extra Lithuanian bulldozers attempted to extract the vehicle from the marsh. Additional heavy dozers were dispatched to enhance traction and assist in the operation.
The US Army stated that it was finally extracted from the bog during the early hours of Monday morning following a two-hour operation, at which point three soldiers were discovered.
What happens next?
The Defense Ministry of Lithuania stated that both Lithuanian law enforcement officers and U.S. investigators are collaborating at the scene to determine what occurred with the four soldiers.
The ministry stated on X, “We will stay patient and concentrated as additional details regarding the circumstance are collected.”
Chopp indicates that the focus of the rescue operations has shifted towards locating the missing soldier. Lithuania has dispatched a canine unit to assist at the location, and Estonia has also joined these endeavors.
Chopp mentioned that the handler and the working dogs work using an “inflatable rigid-hulled vessel, often referred to as a Zodiac.” They navigate through the marsh in a grid formation to determine whether the dogs can detect any scents.
“Urgently locating and rescuing our fourth soldier remains the top priority for this command,” stated Chopp, noting that the event has shaken the close-knit military unit.
A probe has been initiated to determine what occurred with the soldiers and how their vehicle ended up stuck in the marsh.
The landscape in the training zone is rough and demanding. According to Chopp, this setting mimics where combat might take place, noting that military vehicles often find themselves trapped here.
At times, the landscape prevails, essentially. What certainly isn’t ordinary is this sorrowful event. Fortunately for our troops, such occurrences are quite uncommon; however, even once is undeniably too often.