On Monday morning, rescue teams extracted an armored 63-ton M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle from a swamp, finding three of the four missing soldiers dead inside.
Polish defense minister sends condolences
News of the tragedy prompted Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz to express condolences via social media.
"This is a great loss for their loved ones, and a difficult moment for our allied military family," he wrote.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also addressed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: "Please accept my deepest sympathy. We share your grief and join you in mourning. Our thoughts are with families of soldiers who died during military exercises in Lithuania."
The four American soldiers—whose names have not been released—went missing in the early hours of March 25 while conducting a repair and recovery mission of a disabled tactical vehicle.
They were traveling in the M88A2 Hercules, a 70-ton vehicle, which became submerged in a swamp. Only after the vehicle was pulled out of the bog did rescuers confirm the deaths of three soldiers.
A search for the fourth soldier continues.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR, Reuters