In the quiet woodlands along Lithuania’s eastern border, what began as a routine NATO training exercise turned unexpectedly tragic — culminating in a somber scene that gripped military families and international partners alike. Over six days, search and rescue teams braved bogs and biting chill to uncover the fate of missing soldiers lost in an unforgiving landscape.

The breakthrough came on March 31, 2025, when three U.S. Army soldiers from Fort Stewart’s 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team were discovered lifeless inside their submerged M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle. The unit had vanished days earlier during maneuvers near Lithuania’s border with Belarus, swallowed by a peat bog while returning from training.

The operation to retrieve the massive 63-ton vehicle unfolded like a military mission of its own. Employing cranes, slurry pumps, and even ground-penetrating radar, engineers and divers battled nature’s resistance to pull the machine from a watery grave cloaked in thick, glutinous mud nearly 15 feet deep. Still, one soldier remains unaccounted for, as crews—now bolstered by NATO allies—continue scouring the area under increasingly difficult conditions.

This unprecedented recovery effort has united military forces across borders. Hundreds of personnel from Lithuania, Poland, and the United States have collaborated with local responders and civilian agencies. The operation exemplifies the spirit of the NATO alliance, a sentiment echoed by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, who offered heartfelt condolences and reaffirmed solidarity between the nations.

As of April 1, the U.S. Army has launched a formal investigation to determine what went wrong during the ill-fated training at the General Silvestras Žukauskas grounds. Meanwhile, the search presses on — not just for the missing soldier, but for closure, and perhaps answers, beneath the dark waters of the Lithuanian marsh.