U.S. soldiers honored in Vilnius after tragic swamp incident
On 31 March, an armoured vehicle that trapped American soldiers was retrieved from the swamp. "If we hadn't found it that night, we would never have found it," admitted General Curtis Taylor, commander of the U.S. Armed Forces in Lithuania, in an interview with Lithuanian media. He also revealed how they managed to locate the vehicle's position.
Today in Vilnius, American soldiers who died at the training ground in Pabradė were honoured. The memory of Edvin Ben Franco, Jose Duenez, Dante Gogo Taitano, and Troy Smith Knutson-Collins was honoured with a minute of silence.
These four soldiers had a total of 23 years of military experience. They were loved and respected by their comrades and leaders. [...] There are many families, fathers, and mothers who mourn them with us — said Gen. Curtis Taylor, quoted by the Lithuanian portal lrytas.lt.
The search for the Hercules armoured vehicle was conducted under difficult conditions. Lithuanian special forces divers worked all night, diving in the mud. Two armoured personnel carriers and two bulldozers were used to retrieve the vehicle.
The place where it all happened was 10 metres wide. We couldn't believe a military vehicle could be there. The platoon sergeant went with a stick and discovered that the site was very steep — confessed Gen. Taylor in a conversation with the portal lrytas.lt.
Citing information in Lithuanian, Gen. Curtis described what helped locate the vehicle's position. The details are surprising. Gen. Curtis revealed that a bag of curry and the strong smell of diesel fuel led rescuers to the sunken vehicle's trace.
We continued searching the area when he spotted a bag of curry in the water and sensed the smell of diesel fuel. We immediately contacted the Lithuanian special forces diving group already onsite. These incredible divers dove into the mud repeatedly through the entire night. From 9:00 PM to 2:00 AM, just to find the armoured vehicle. Their masks were melting from the diesel fuel, but finally, they found the upper part of the armoured vehicle submerged two metres deep — relayed Gen. Taylor, quoted by lrytas.lt.
Heroic rescue operation
General Taylor emphasised that had the vehicle not been found that night [the operation was completed at 11:30 PM - red.], it might have forever remained in the swamp. The vehicle was sinking deeper and deeper.
If we hadn't found it that night, we would never have found it. It was the heroism of your special forces. Thanks to them, we found the armoured vehicle — said the commander, addressing the Lithuanians.
Taylor repeatedly stressed his surprise at how quickly Lithuanians rushed to assist the Americans. "From the very beginning, I was overwhelmed by the incredible support from the Lithuanian military and government. As soon as we asked for help, we immediately received aerial support, search teams, and divers," noted the general in a conversation with lrytas.lt.
To recap: the dramatic events unfolded on 25 March, when American soldiers drove their technical support vehicle, the M88 Hercules, to perform a task. After a nearly week-long search and rescue operation, their armoured vehicle was pulled from the swamp. The bodies of three soldiers were found in the recovered Hercules on 31 March, while the body of the fourth soldier was discovered the following day.
