Six-Day Search Ends with Tragic Discovery: Three American Soldiers Found Dead in Lithuania

A six-day search has ended in tragedy, with authorities locating the bodies of three American soldiers who went missing during a training mission in Lithuania. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade and Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

The US Army Europe and Africa announced that the bodies of the three servicemembers were found in their armored vehicle, submerged in swampy terrain near the border with Belarus.

"The Soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just Soldiers - they were a part of our family. Our hearts are heavy with a sorrow that echoes across the whole Marne Division, both forward and at home."

A fourth soldier in the group remains unaccounted for, and search and recovery operations continue. Officials said it took "tremendous resources" to recover the armored vehicle from the peat bog, including helicopters, unmanned aerial systems, excavators, and other heavy machinery.

The soldiers went missing on March 26 while on a scheduled mission to recover an immobilized tactical vehicle. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte later confirmed that they had died, but did not offer any additional information.

The US Army and Lithuanian authorities are investigating the cause of the incident. A dive team is using "ground penetrating radar" to assist in the search for the fourth missing servicemember.

The soldiers were deployed to Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia.