Overview

• The body of the fourth U.S. soldier was recovered on April 1, following the deaths of three others found the previous day in a Lithuanian peat bog.
• The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting a vehicle recovery mission on March 25 when their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle sank.
• Hundreds of personnel from the U.S., Lithuanian, Polish, and Estonian forces collaborated in the complex recovery operation, which required heavy equipment and engineering expertise to stabilize the terrain.
• The soldiers were deployed to Lithuania under Operation Atlantic Resolve, a NATO mission aimed at deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.
• Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing, and the identities of the soldiers are being withheld pending family notifications.