The Polish military has established a group to assist the Lithuanian Army and the U.S. Army in a recovery operation for four U.S. Army soldiers who vanished early Tuesday during a training exercise near Pabradė, Lithuania. The soldiers, based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, were riding in an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle on a scheduled maintenance mission to retrieve another U.S. Army vehicle when they disappeared, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Hundreds of U.S. and Lithuanian soldiers and law enforcement, along with Lithuanian military helicopters and dive teams, have been involved in ground-based search efforts through the dense forests and swampy terrain. However, the soldiers have not yet been located, and the M88 Hercules was found submerged in a body of water inside the training area, close to a highly pressurized gas pipeline near Pabradė, a town north of the capital city, Vilnius.
Rec siglos, equipment’s arrival expected
Lithuania’s Defense Minister, Dovilė Šakalienė, said her country has committed all possible resources, including helicopters with thermal vision, forces on the ground, and engineers, to the effort to find the soldiers. She noted that complicated recovery efforts due to water, thick mud, and soft ground require specialized equipment to drain water from the site and stabilize the ground. Further assistance is expected with the arrival of land dredging equipment and the reinforcement of a dam to isolate the mud pumping area.
The internal water waste agency will send a water master dredger and over 900 feet of bulk pipe on Friday morning, with the equipment expected to reach the site by midday. Installing the pipeline and the dredgers will take several hours, and excavators will begin clearing water inflows. Šakalienė explained that the dredger typically pumps 80% water and 20% mud or sludge, with the goal to start operating the pump by, evening to enable divers and hydrographic teams to assess the vehicle’s position on Saturday morning.
Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers drain swamp near site
Šakalienė confirmed that efforts from Thursday morning involved Lithuanian engineers and U.S. Army soldiers draining a swamp to recover the Army M88 Hercules armored vehicle. The vehicle was found submerged in water in the training area, with officials reinforcing the dam and preparing soil dredging equipment, expected to arrive on-site before midday Friday. By late Thursday, the pressurized gas had been removed, making it safe to work at the site. Officials are also transporting a lar sen water digger to reach the submerged vehicle.
Šakalienė said divers will attach cables to the submerged vehicle and use pulleys to bring it to shore. The status of the soldiers inside the vehicle remains unknown, and there is “no evidence” confirming the deaths of the missing soldiers as of Thursday afternoon.
According to Šakalienė, the area surrounding the site is a forested region with swamps and bogs, similar to an Alaskan environment, with challenging weather conditions resembling those in Alaska, making it a difficult training area for Army personnel. Šakalienė stated that bathroom they could have been confused or injured, or in a hypothermic condition, and have not yet been found. “All scenarios are possible,” she stated.
Polish reinforcements arrive
Šakalienė emphasized that Lithuania sees American soldiers as their own and will not leave them behind. She affirmed that the entire society is heartbroken and that they will do everything to find the soldiers and provide answers as soon as possible. Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, announced that a task force of several dozen Polish soldiers with heavy equipment and frogmen were “urgently” heading to Lithuania to assist.
Šakalienė said her country is utilizing the full potential of the U.S. and Lithuanian assets in coordination to provide the needed resources for the search efforts. She expressed gratitude for the Lithuanian support, which has tirelessly worked alongside the U.S. over the last 48 hours.
President Donald Trump stated he had not received a briefing about the missing soldiers during a press appearance. The training site is less than six miles from Belarus, a Russian ally. According to Šakalienė, talks between Russia and Ukraine ending in a settlement that could threaten the region have raised concerns.
The U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division is keeping the soldiers’ families updated on the search, and Šakalienė stated that the recovery mission will not cease until the soldiers are found.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/lithuanian-polish-troops-aid-search-recovery-4-missing-us-soldiers-fort-stewart
