By Liudas Dapkus and Lolita C. Baldor
Vilnius, Lithuania (AP) – Three of the American army soldiers who disappeared in Lithuania were found dead in their armored vehicle which was drawn from a swampy area early on Monday, according to the American command of the army of the army and Africa. Another soldier is always missing.
The bodies of the three soldiers were found after a massive effort of six days of us, armed forces and Lithuanian and Lithuanian authorities to dig the Hercules M88 vehicle from a peat bog to the vast general Silvestras žukauskas in the city of Pabradė.
The soldiers did a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were missing early Tuesday, the army said.
The command in a press release indicates that the identity of the 1st armored brigade combat team, soldiers from the 3rd infantry division, are pending family notifications.
“We hold out in sorrow with families and relatives of these extraordinary” Dog Surface soldiers during this unimaginable period, “said Major-General Christopher Norrie, commander of the 3rd infantry division. “But research is not over as long as everyone is not at home. Words cannot express our gratitude to those who always work 24 hours a day during these in -depth research and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until everything is found.”
Hundreds of Lithuanian and American soldiers and rescuers participated in research through thick forests and swampy land around Pabradė, just 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the border with Bélarus. The armored vehicle was discovered on Wednesday overwhelmed in 4.5 meters (15 feet) of water.
The Lithuanian armed forces have provided military helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, unmanned air systems and research and rescue staff. They brought additional excavators, lock and suspension pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts and several hundred tonnes of gravel and land to help recovery.
The divers of the American navy were able to maneuver through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment “without zero visibility” to reach the vehicle of 63 tonnes Sunday evening and find two points to fix the steel cables, depending on the command.
The command said that during the effort to withdraw the vehicle, it began to lose ground, so that dozens of additional heavy were brought and attached to provide an additional grip. The vehicle was released after about two hours, command said.
“The armored vehicle was fired on the ground at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is over, Lithuanian military police and US investigators continue to work,” said Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė in a Facebook article on Monday morning.
The Navy Dive team is now looking for the area using radar for the fourth soldier who is still missing.
Major-General Curtis Taylor, commander of the Iron working group and the 1st armored division, thanked the “heroic efforts” of the people involved in research and recovery. The American army and the Lithuanian authorities investigate what caused the incident.
Baldor reported Washington.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
