1 of 2 | Members of Commander, Task Force 68 U.S. Navy dive team work Saturday to recover a M88 Hercules armored vehicle that disappeared into a bog near Pabrade, Lithuania, with four American soldiers on board. U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Saunders.
March 31 (UPI) — The bodies of three of four U.S. Army soldiers missing after their armed vehicle was found submerged in a bog in Lithuania last week have been recovered, the Army announced Monday.
The search is continuing for the fourth soldier, and all names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a news release.
They were assigned to the First Armored Brigade, Third Infantry Division in Fort Stewart, Ga. They were deployed to Lithuania in support of support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, an operation formed in 2014 to build readiness with NATO allies.
Approximately 6,000 soldiers participate in Atlantic Resolve activities for nine-month rotations in Lithuania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania.
The M88A3 is a heavy equipment recovery combat utility lift evacuation system designed to rescue disabled tanks from the battlefield. It first went into service in 1961.
The four U.S. soldiers were taking part in a tactical training exercise, mounting a major engineering and logistical operation involving experts from remote underwater vehicle specialists to geologists.
“The soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just soldiers — they were a part of our family,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, the commanding general of the Third Infantry Division. “Our hearts are heavy with a sorrow that echoes across the whole Marne division, both forward and at home.
“We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary ‘dogface soldiers’ during this unimaginable time. But the search isn’t finished until everyone is home. Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found.”
The M88A2 disappeared Tuesday. At 4:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, U.S Army units and Lithuanian Armed Forces found the 70-ton vehicle beneath 15 feet of watery clay-like mud at a training ground near Pabrade, 30 miles northeast of Vilnius.
Also assisting were Polish Armed Forces and other Lithuanian government and civilian agencies.
Lithuanian Armed Forces provided military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, as well as search and rescue personnel immediately.
Also brought in were excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts, and several hundred tons of gravel and earth.
“Today is a very sad and tragic day,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of Task Force Iron and the 1st Armored Division. “The loss of these soldiers weighs heavy on me, the hearts of all Task Force Iron service members, and the 3rd Infantry Division.”
U.S. Navy divers deployed a remotely operated submersible and handheld sonar to locate “lift points” on the vehicle.
They maneuvered through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment with zero visibility.
They hooked steel cables attached to two M88A2 Hercules. During the extraction, the M88A2s began to lose traction with several dozers attached to provide additional grip.
It took about two hours of winching to remove the M88A2 from the bog.
Engineers also worked to pump water away from the site and stabilize the surrounding ground.
“The Raider family is heartbroken over the tragic loss of our Soldiers,” said Col. James Armstrong, commander of the First Armored Brigade. “We are an incredibly tight-knit family, and their absence is keenly felt, and we will hold them close in our memories.”
Gintaras Grusas, the archbishop metropolitan of Vilnius, led a mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus of Vilnius on Sunday.