Americans honor fallen soldiers: Heroic rescue in the Lithuanian swamp
On March 31, an armored vehicle that trapped American soldiers was pulled 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 honored. The memory of Edvin Ben Franco, Jose Duenez, Dante Gogo Taitano, and Troy Smith Knutson-Collins was observed 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, as quoted by the Lithuanian portal lrytas.lt.
The search for the Hercules armored vehicle was conducted under difficult conditions. Lithuanian special forces divers worked all night, diving in the mud. Two armored personnel carriers and two bulldozers were used to retrieve the vehicle.
The place where it all happened was 33 feet 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.
Lithuanian media 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 we 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 on site. These incredible divers dove into the mud repeatedly throughout the entire night. From 9 PM until 2 AM, just to find the armored vehicle. Their masks were melting from the diesel fuel, but finally, they found the upper part of the armored vehicle submerged six feet deep," relayed Gen. Taylor, quoted by lrytas.lt.
Heroic rescue operation
General Taylor emphasized 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 car 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 armored vehicle," said the commander, addressing the Lithuanians.
Taylor repeatedly stressed his surprise at how quickly Lithuanians rushed to assist the Americans. “From the 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 March 25, 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 armored vehicle was pulled from the swamp. The bodies of three soldiers were found in the recovered Hercules on March 31, while the body of the fourth soldier was discovered the following day.
