Lithuanians forgive for 4 US soldiers who died during training exercise

Vilnius, Lithuania – The procession carrying the coffins of four American soldiers who died during training in Lithuania, will pass through the cathedral on Thursday.

Government officers and religious leaders are expected to pay their last respect before the bodies are taken to the airport who will return to the US

Soldiers, part 1. Armored battle team for the fight against Brigade, 3. The infantry department were on tactical training exercises when they and their vehicle disappeared a week agosaid the army.

Lithuanian, Polish and American soldiers and rescuers searched Through the forests and swamps on General Silvestras Žukauskas in Pabradė, 6 miles (10 kilometers) west of the border with Belarus. Withdrawn is an armored vehicle M88 Hercules From the peat god Monday and the final body is recovered Tuesday.

The American army He identified four as SGT staff. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28. Battle Potok, Michigan; Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, from Joliet, Illinois; Staff Sgt. Edwin F. Franco, 25, from Glendale, California; and pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, from Dededo, Guam.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, the Minister of Defense and Vilnius Archbishop will be presented to attend the ceremony on Thursday.

A tea-in-line from 3. The infantry division will also choose to honor to soldiers, May. Nicholas Chopp, Deputy Head of Media for American Military Europe and Africa, told the associate journalists.

The Lithuanian non-profit that helps Ukrainian war refugees requested Vilnius residents to attend the ceremony and pause for a moment when the coffins go pay homage. “Although the working day, let’s not stay indifferent … Let’s honor the head of American soldiers who lost their lives during training, and that they were defending their oath,” Styprus map, or strong together, wrote on Facebook.

About 3,500 soldiers from 1. The Armored Fighter Team was distributed in January in Poland, and the Baltic States for nine-month rotation as part of the Operation Atlantic Resollov, which supports NATO allies and partners after the Russian invasion in Ukraine 2022. Years.