Army Identifies Fourth Soldier Killed in NATO Training Incident

The United States Army has identified the fourth soldier who died in a March training accident in Lithuania as 28-year-old staff sergeant Troy S. Knutson-Collins of Michigan. The news comes after a weeklong search after the soldiers went missing.

The Context

On March 25, four U.S. soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were reported missing from the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area near Pabradė, Lithuania, around 6 miles from the country's border with Belarus.

The U.S. Army later said that an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, which the four soldiers were using at the time of the incident, had been found "submerged in a body of water."

Earlier this week, the U.S. Army confirmed three of their deaths, and on Tuesday, confirmed the fourth death.

What To Know

The U.S. Army Europe and Africa command identified Knutson-Collins as the fourth soldier in a press release on Wednesday.

Knutson-Collins was a native of Battle Creek, Michigan, and served as an artillery mechanic. He had been in the Army for more than seven years.

The bodies of the other soldiers, Jose Duenez Jr., 25, Edvin F. Franco, 25, and Dante D. Taitano, 21, were recovered on Monday after U.S., Polish, and Lithuanian forces, along with other rescue teams, extracted their M88 Hercules recovery vehicle from a peat bog.

Knutson-Collins, Duenez and Franco were posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.

About 1,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed in Lithuania on a rotational basis. Lithuania and Poland bracket the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, where Moscow bases its Baltic Sea naval fleet. Poland and Lithuania are North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries that share land borders with Belarus, Moscow's key ally.

NATO has been fortifying its eastern flank, close to Russia, as alliance members ring alarm bells about Moscow's potential ambitions in the Baltic. Lithuania and other Baltic States have led NATO's efforts to sharply increase defense spending by allies.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said during a visit to Washington, D.C., that Vilnius was pleased to host U.S. rotational battalions in the country and was ready to accept more American troops, according to a readout published by the Foreign Ministry.

What People Are Saying

Captain Jackson Patillo, a commander in the 1st Battalion, said on Wednesday: "Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit. Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss."

Major General Curtis Taylor, commander of Task Force Iron and the 1st Armored Division, said in a statement: "The loss of these soldiers weighs heavy on me, the hearts of all Task Force Iron service members, and the 3rd Infantry Division. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of these brave Soldiers."

Major General Christopher Norrie, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a Wednesday statement: "Although we are relieved to have found all our Dogface Soldiers, it does not make the pain of their loss any less. We will continue to care for and support the soldiers' families and loved ones as we bring them home and honor their memory."

General Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said in a Tuesday statement: "First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our Soldiers. I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own Sailors, Airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our Soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends."

What Happens Next

A formal departure ceremony is scheduled for Thursday in Vilnius. The bodies will then be transferred to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

This article contains reporting by the Associated Press.

Update 4/2/25, 4:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.