Mon Mar 31 02:40:00 UTC 2025: ## International Rescue Operation Underway for Four Missing US Soldiers in Lithuania
**Pabradė, Lithuania** – A massive search and recovery operation is underway in Lithuania for four US Army soldiers missing since Tuesday. The soldiers, assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia, disappeared while on a maintenance mission near Pabradė, during which their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle sank into a peat bog.
US Navy divers have successfully attached two lines to the submerged vehicle, allowing crews to begin winching it from the bog. The operation is expected to be lengthy and complex due to the challenging terrain and the vehicle’s depth (approximately four meters below the surface, encased in two meters of mud). A specialized Rapidly Available Interface for Trans-loading (RAIL) system is being deployed to assist with ground stabilization.
US, Polish, and Lithuanian troops are collaborating on the search and recovery efforts, utilizing helicopters with thermal imaging and ground forces. Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė emphasized Lithuania’s full commitment to the search, stating that they consider the American soldiers their own and will not give up hope. She added that all possibilities are being considered, including the soldiers having escaped the vehicle before it sank. While there is no evidence confirming their deaths, the challenging environment – described as similar to Alaska’s – makes the search extremely difficult.
Brig. Gen. John Lloyd of the US Army Corps of Engineers highlighted the complexity of the recovery, noting the vehicle’s weight (70 tons) and the swamp-like conditions. The US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is keeping the soldiers’ families updated on the ongoing search. A joint prayer service was held in Lithuania’s capital cathedral on Sunday.
The incident occurred in a training area less than six miles from Belarus. The search continues.
First Piper 