VILNIUS COUNTY, Lithuania — The body of the fourth and final U.S. Army soldier from Georgia’s Fort Stewart was recovered on Tuesday after an armored vehicle sank into bog in Lithuania.
It comes after the other three soldiers’ bodies were found on Monday.
“First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our Soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
While the soldiers have not officially been identified. The wife of one of them, 25-year-old Sgt. Edvin Franco, spoke to 11Alive’s Cody Alcorn and identified him. The wife, Georgia Franco, said her husband has been a tank mechanic stationed at Fort Stewart since joining the Army in 2018.
Franco stated her husband’s body was found on Monday with two other soldiers.
The soldiers went missing the morning of March 25. Their vehicle was then located submerged in a mix of mud, water and silt in a forested area near Lithuania’s border with Belarus.
According to the U.S. Army, the soldiers were found after hundreds of rescue workers with the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Polish Armed Forces, Estonian Armed Forces and other members of the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies.
Recovery efforts have included digging and pumping to clear the site and dive teams have also been deployed. The M88 Hercules the soldiers were operating in was estimated at one point to be about four meters (roughly 13 feet) below the surface.
“I’m immensely proud of our entire team; they have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our Soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” said Donahue.
While the bodies of the soldiers were found, the U.S. Army is still mourning the loss of those who were sent to protect and serve the nation.
“This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.”
The soldiers were originally said to be conducting scheduled tactical training in the area. The cause of the accident is still under investigation at this time.