US Confirms Recovery of Final Missing Soldier’s Remains

The US Army has recovered the body of the fourth and final soldier who drowned in a Lithuanian training accident, bringing a solemn end to the weeklong search that has highlighted the dangers faced by American troops serving abroad.

Key Takeaways

Four US soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division drowned when their M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle sank in a peat bog near the Lithuania-Belarus border during a maintenance mission.
The soldiers were identified as Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, and a fourth soldier whose name is pending family notification.
The recovery operation involved extensive multinational cooperation, including Lithuanian diving teams, US Navy divers, and specialized equipment to retrieve the vehicle from 15 feet underwater.
The troops were part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, with approximately 3,500 soldiers deployed across Poland and the Baltic states to bolster NATO’s eastern flank.
An investigation into the cause of the tragic accident is ongoing.

Tragic Loss During Training Exercise

The US Army confirmed that the fourth and final missing soldier has been recovered following a tragic training accident in Lithuania. The soldiers, all from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were operating an M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle near Pabrade when it became submerged in a peat bog close to the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The incident occurred on March 25 while the team was conducting a maintenance mission to recover another Army vehicle, highlighting the dangers service members face even during routine operations.

The soldiers, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, were deployed to Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, the ongoing mission to demonstrate America’s commitment to NATO allies following Russia’s 2014 actions in Ukraine. The recovery of the fourth soldier brings closure to what military officials have described as a devastating week for the Army community, particularly the tight-knit “Dogface Soldiers” of the 3rd Infantry Division.

The 3rd Infantry Division named the soldiers who were killed after their vehicle sank into a bog in Lithuania last week.

Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Ill.; Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, Calif.; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, all perished in the… pic.twitter.com/R4lRU8YOsd

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) April 1, 2025

Extraordinary Recovery Efforts

The search and recovery operation involved extraordinary measures and international cooperation. After the vehicle was discovered 15 feet underwater on March 26, military officials mobilized a comprehensive response involving military helicopters, Lithuanian diving teams, recovery dogs, specialized drones, and hundreds of personnel. Engineers, excavators, slurry pumps, and a US Navy dive crew worked in challenging conditions to recover both the vehicle and its crew members.

A breakthrough in the recovery came when Navy divers managed to attach steel cables to the submerged vehicle. According to reports, it took two additional M88A2 recovery vehicles and bulldozers to pull the sunken armored vehicle from the swamp. The bodies of three soldiers were recovered first after the vehicle was extracted, with the fourth soldier located later through continued search efforts utilizing specialized equipment.

Honoring the Fallen

The Army identified three of the four deceased soldiers as Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano. All were M1 Abrams tank system maintainers with varying years of service and deployment experience. The name of the fourth soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, following standard military protocol. These service members represent America’s commitment to defending freedom around the world, sacrificing their lives not in combat but in the equally dangerous day-to-day operations of military service.

The incident has strengthened bonds between US forces and their NATO allies, particularly Lithuania, which provided extensive assistance throughout the recovery operation. Gen. Christopher Donahue, a senior US commander in Europe, emphasized the importance of these alliances during times of crisis. An investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing, with military officials committed to understanding what went wrong to prevent similar tragedies in the future.