By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Pew PatriotsPew PatriotsPew Patriots
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Reading: Lithuanians bid farewell to 4 US troops who died in training accident
Share
Font ResizerAa
Pew PatriotsPew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
Lithuanians bid farewell to 4 US troops who died in training accident
Tactical

Lithuanians bid farewell to 4 US troops who died in training accident

Jimmie Dempsey
Last updated: April 3, 2025 7:08 pm
Jimmie Dempsey Published April 3, 2025
Share
SHARE

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania’s political and religious leaders joined thousands of people on Thursday to bid farewell to four American soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation.

President Gitanas Nausėda and other dignitaries were among those who stood in respect as hearses carried the bodies of the four young Americans to Vilnius airport before being flown to the United States for burial.

Many of the onlookers were in tears, and Nausėda said that the reaction of the population and the military to the disappearance of soldiers was rooted in Lithuania’s own difficult history.

“For us, it is more than a duty, it is an emotion. We have experienced trials in our history and therefore we understand well what loss is, what death is, what honorable duty is,” Nausėda said in a speech to those gathered.

RELATED

Schoolchildren accompanied by teachers waved Lithuanian and U.S. flags to honor the soldiers, who died in an accident along NATO’s eastern flank, a region that is on edge due to Russia’s aggression in nearby Ukraine.

Leading one group was Justin Boyd, the secondary school principal of the American International School in Vilnius, who said his group was there “to honor the fallen soldiers from the United States and to honor the relationship between Lithuania and America and the defensive pact that represents.”

“It’s important for us to give dignity to the fallen and to let the families know that we are with them and we support them in this time,” Boyd said.

The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle went missing a week ago, the Army said.

Lithuanian, Polish and U.S. soldiers and rescuers searched through the forests and swamps at the Gen. Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė, 6 miles west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was pulled from a peat bog Monday and the final body was recovered Tuesday.

“I feel sorry for these young men,” said one mourner from the town of Pabradė as he watched the hearses make their way towards the airport. “I live nearby, and I know that swamp. Dangerous places for anyone who enters that area.”

The U.S. Army has identified the soldiers as Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan; Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois; Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.

About 3,500 soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team deployed in January to Poland and the Baltic states for a nine-month rotation as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which supports NATO allies and partners following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

AP Video reporter Siarhei Satsiuk contributed reporting.

Read the full article here

You Might Also Like

Coast Guard searching for member reported missing in Eastern Pacific

Federal military spouse workers exempt from return-to-office rule

First Look: Reptilia AK Grip

Michigan State Police Field SIG Sauer P320/M18 and P365 Pistols

Review: Walther PDP-F Pro Series

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We Recommend
Hulk Hogan laid to rest at Florida church where he was baptized in private ceremony
News

Hulk Hogan laid to rest at Florida church where he was baptized in private ceremony

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey August 6, 2025
Rory McIlroy’s absence from first portion of PGA Tour postseason draws concerns from organizers
Sen Adam Schiff under federal criminal investigation for alleged mortgage fraud violations
What the military could learn from the NFL preseason (and vice versa)
Jakeb Ginsberg is Second Maker to Collaborate with Jack Wolf Knives
15 Ways to Kill Weeds Permanently
These ATF Rules Just Became Illegal After Supreme Court Ruling
TacticalVideos

These ATF Rules Just Became Illegal After Supreme Court Ruling

Line45 Line45 August 5, 2025
Sophie Cunningham calls out DeWanna Bonner for handling of Fever exit: ‘Expect getting booed’
News

Sophie Cunningham calls out DeWanna Bonner for handling of Fever exit: ‘Expect getting booed’

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey August 5, 2025
PDN Training Talk: January 11th, 2023
Guns and Gear

PDN Training Talk: January 11th, 2023

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey August 5, 2025
Pew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
  • Guns and Gear
2024 © Pew Patriots. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?