US TROOPS MISSING IN LITHUANIA

[LadyTevar]

4 US Soldiers Missing for Two Days During NATO Drills

The Lithuanian army says it is searching for four US soldiers missing for two days during drills in the Baltic state amid reports they had died.

The four soldiers and their tracked vehicle had gone missing on Tuesday afternoon near the border with Belarus, the military said earlier. The US Army said the vehicle had been found submerged in water.

The Lithuanian army said on X that a "rescue operation is intensively ongoing", and there was no evidence "confirming the death of the troops".

Nato chief Mark Rutte had earlier said he had been informed of their deaths, but added that he did not have further details.

Lithuanian and foreign troops, helicopters and state border guards have been deployed to search for the missing soldiers.

The soldiers had been training near Pabrade in eastern Lithuania with other Nato forces.

US Army Europe and Africa's public affairs office confirmed in its statement that the soldiers "were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident".

They added the soldiers were part of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

Lithuanian authorities received a report about the soldiers' disappearance on Tuesday afternoon.

"A possible scene has now been identified," the Lithuanian military said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.

"People (are) working round the clock. Everybody remains on standby, ready to provide emergency medical support," Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on X.

Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, hosts more than 1,000 American troops, who are stationed on a rotational basis.

"I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian armed forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations," said Lieutenant General Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general.

[LadyTevar]

So. Did they cross the border, accidently or otherwise, or did Belarussian troops cross and grab them?

[Zaune]

If the vehicle was found submerged, I'd say there's a good chance it was a simple accident. Maybe they took the wrong road and tried to go over a bridge that couldn't take the weight of their vehicle or something.

[Lord Revan]

Yeah it could case of "got lost during a drill and got into a fatal accident, so provocation by Belarus is needed and shouldn't be assumed until we know more.

[LadyTevar]

Bodies of 3 US Soldiers Found

The bodies of three US soldiers, missing for six days, have been found in a muddy swamp near the Lithuanian city of Pabradė, where they were taking part in military drills, the US Army has confirmed.

Rescue teams are still searching for a fourth soldier.

It doesn't say if they were with their vehicle, but the article does say the vehicle was stuck deep:

The four soldiers went missing on the morning of 25 March while carrying out an exercise in their M88A2 Hercules - a large armoured vehicle that is designed to recover damaged tanks and other vehicles from battlefields.
They were "conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilised tactical vehicle" when they went missing, the statement said.

The soldiers' vehicle was found submerged in a bog near the border with Belarus early on 26 March. Pulling it out of the mud was a difficult mission.

US Navy divers were brought in to hook cables onto the sunken vehicle, and had to manoeuvre "through thick layers of mud, clay, and sediment with zero visibility", the statement said.
Those cables were then connected to another two M88A2 Hercules, which also started to slide into the bog, leading to several bulldozers being called on.

Other heavy construction equipment including excavators and sluice and slurry pumps were brought in, as well as technical experts and "several hundred tons of gravel and earth", the US Army said.

[Lord Revan]

Looks like it was tragic accident, the crew took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a bog.

[Solauren]

60+ ton vehicle takes wrong turn at a driving speed, and ends up in the Bog.....

I'm amazed they didn't manage to at least get off a radio SOS or something.

[LadyTevar]

60+ ton vehicle takes wrong turn at a driving speed, and ends up in the Bog.....

I'm amazed they didn't manage to at least get off a radio SOS or something.

It had to have happened fast, which is why I'm wondering if the bodies were found in or near the vehicle because they couldn't escape as it went under.

[Solauren]

60+ ton vehicle takes wrong turn at a driving speed, and ends up in the Bog.....

I'm amazed they didn't manage to at least get off a radio SOS or something.

It had to have happened fast, which is why I'm wondering if the bodies were found in or near the vehicle because they couldn't escape as it went under.

Going by the specifiions for that type of vehicle, standard crew is 3.
I'm guessing that three were in the vehicle, while one was riding on it (possibly with the crane).
A high speed turn and sudden stop would have thrown the rider clear, and into the Bog.
The others would have been trapped.

That would explain why they've only recovered 3 bodies so far. The first three were recovered inside the vehicle, while the fourth one was launched somewhere into the Bog.

[LadyTevar]

Going by the specifiions for that type of vehicle, standard crew is 3.
I'm guessing that three were in the vehicle, while one was riding on it (possibly with the crane).
A high speed turn and sudden stop would have thrown the rider clear, and into the Bog.
The others would have been trapped.

That would explain why they've only recovered 3 bodies so far. The first three were recovered inside the vehicle, while the fourth one was launched somewhere into the Bog.

Yeah, that's what I'm figuring, the sudden stop into the bog either threw the 4th soldier further into the bog, or he was trying to swim clear and got sucked down.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

If they can locate his body, probably need to use a hovercraft to fish the poor bastard out.

[LadyTevar]

If they can locate his body, probably need to use a hovercraft to fish the poor bastard out.

They'd need divers to find the body first.

[muse]

Too soon?

[EnterpriseSovereign]

If they can locate his body, probably need to use a hovercraft to fish the poor bastard out.

They'd need divers to find the body first.

They found him

The body of a fourth US soldier has been found, a week after they went missing in Lithuania.

The soldier was part of a team of four who were conducting military drills in a large armoured vehicle when they disappeared near the city of Pabrade.

The vehicle – a M88A2 Hercules – and the bodies of the other three soldiers were found in a peat bog on Monday.

The search effort, followed by the difficult mission to drag the vehicle out of the bog, has involved hundreds of rescue workers from the US Army and Navy, as well as Lithuanian, Polish and Estonian Armed Forces, a statement said.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain... the world is darker without them," said Maj Gen Christopher Norrie in a statement released by US Army Europe and Africa.

Lt Gen Charles Costanza described the incident as a "tragic accident" and added that it was "humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together".

The US Army is investigating what happened.

The statement did not specify where the final soldier's body was found. The team had been working near the border with Belarus.

The M88A2 Hercules, one of the largest military vehicles used by the US Armed Forces, is designed to recover damaged tanks and other vehicles from battlefields.

Two more M88A2 Hercules, plus bulldozers were needed to drag the sunken vehicle out of the swamp on Monday, in a recovery mission that saw teams working "day and night", the statement said.

The soldiers' identities have been withheld. They had been deployed to Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve – a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[LadyTevar]

Well... I'm glad they found them all.

A tragic accident all around.