A child with a Lithuanian flag stands in front of people holding an American flag at the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, April 1, 2025, to honor the four U.S. soldiers killed in a training accident near Pabrade last week. (X/Lithuanian Defense Ministry)
Mourners carrying wreaths and flags filled the streets in Lithuania’s capital of Vilnius on Wednesday to memorialize four U.S. soldiers who died last week during a military training exercise.
Hundreds of residents gathered near the U.S. Embassy for the fallen troops, all from the Fort Stewart, Ga.-based 3rd Infantry Division.
The deaths have moved the public in Lithuania, a small Baltic state bordering Russia’s military exclave of Kaliningrad. The country, which was annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II and which gained its independence after the Cold War, has long viewed the U.S. military as a protector from potential aggression directed by the Kremlin.
“The tragic incident has shaken us all to the depths of our hearts,” Lithuania’s defense ministry said in a statement Tuesday. “These soldiers will never be forgotten.”
The crowd, which began gathering Tuesday evening soon after it was announced that all four soldiers were found dead, is expected to increase for a larger community observance Thursday.
A person places a heart on a memorial in Vilnius, Lithuania, April 1, 2025, in memory of the four U.S. soldiers who died in a training accident in the country last week. (X/Lithuanian Defense Ministry)
An American flag stands amid a bouquet at a memorial in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the four U.S. soldiers who died in a training accident in the country last week. Scores of Lithuanians gathered at the U.S. Embassy on April 1, 2025, to honor the fallen soldiers. (X/Lithuanian Defense Ministry)
Lithuanians gather outside the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius on April 1, 2025, to honor the four members of a U.S. Army armored brigade who died in a training accident near Pabrade, Lithuania, last week. (X/Kestutis Budrys)
The Lithuanian government has organized a ceremony marking the dignified departure of the soldiers as they depart Vilnius for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Civic and military leaders will be among those paying tribute Thursday morning as a convoy carries the remains of the soldiers to the airport in Vilnius. Officials are preparing for crowds to line the streets.
An honor platoon from the 3rd Infantry Division also will take part in the ceremony, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Wednesday.
After a nearly weeklong rescue and recovery effort, the Army on Tuesday announced the deaths of Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Ill.; Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, Calif.; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, in the March 25 accident on a Lithuanian training site.
On Wednesday, the Army identified Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Mich, as the fourth soldier, who was recovered Tuesday from the bog where the group’s armored vehicle had sunk during an early morning mission.
Duenez, Franco and Collins all were promoted posthumously.
The effort to recover the soldiers involved hundreds of personnel from the U.S. Army, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland.
The accident, which happened near the city of Pabrade, was complicated by muddy terrain. Several hundred tons of gravel and earth were added to stabilize the soft ground near the bog, where the vehicle was submerged some 15 feet under water and thick sludge, the Army said.
U.S. Navy divers, rescue dogs, helicopters and drones also were part of the recovery effort.
“We mourn this tragic loss with profound sorrow. In this time of grief, the Lithuanian nation stands in solidarity with the families of the soldiers and with the American people,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said Tuesday.
Scores of Lithuanians gather at the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius on April 1, 2025, to honor four American soldiers killed during a training accident near Pabrade, Lithuania, last week. (X/Kestutis Budrys)
People lay flowers and light candles on April 1, 2025, at a memorial in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the four U.S. soldiers who died in a training accident in the country last week. (X/Lithuanian Defense Ministry)
A person photographs the memorial April 1, 2025, in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the four U.S. soldiers who died in a training accident in the country last week. (X/Kestutis Budrys)
