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Four US troops went missing during training at the General Silvestras \u017dukauskas Training Area near Pabrade, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania. The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry division, were sent to recover another Army vehicle early Tuesday.<\/p>\n
U.S. and Lithuanian personnel were still working Thursday to recover four missing U.S. soldiers whose Hercules armored vehicle was found submerged in a body of water at a training site in Lithuania on Wednesday, officials said.\u00a0 Military Times<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Their vehicle drove onto a peat bog and was found submerged 16 feet under water. A massive search ensued.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Army said in a statement Thursday that the \u201csearch and recovery\u201d for the soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, was ongoing. The initial search involved hundreds of U.S. and Lithuanian soldiers and law enforcement that scoured the area’s thick forests and swampy terrain, according to the statement, as well as as Lithuanian military helicopters and diving teams.<\/p>\n
The recovery effort, which have been underway for the last 48 hours, has required specialized equipment to pump water and mud from the site and stabilize the soft ground of the surrounding area, which will allow it to support the heavy equipment needed to recover the vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the terrain, this is an incredibly complex engineering effort,\u201d said Maj. Robin Bruce, 1st Armored Division Engineer. \u201cThe team is exploring every available option to speed up this process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas expressed support for the rescue operation Thursday after visiting the training ground near the town of Pabrad?, about 30 miles south of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, and 6 miles from the border with Belarus.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts & prayers are with their families and brothers in arms,\u201d he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n
He was joined at the scene by Defense Minister Dovil? \u0160akalien?, who said she was \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by the soldiers\u2019 disappearance.\u00a0 NBC News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Apparently there was some confusion at higher levels, as on Wednesday NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported that the soldiers were dead when the Army was still classifying them as missing, and Wednesday evening President Trump told reporters he had not been briefed on their situation.<\/p>\n
Same old sad story – simply training for one of the world’s most dangerous jobs is all too frequently dangerous, too.<\/p>\n
Hat tip to Jeff LPH for this one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"