Army identifies 3 American soldiers who died in Lithuanian swamp: ‘Simply devastating’

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US armored vehicle pulled out of Lithuanian swamp

Three American soldiers are declared dead Monday after a U.S. armored vehicle was pulled from a swamp near Pabradė, Lithuania. (Credit: Reuters)

Officials have released the identities of three of the four U.S. soldiers found dead in Lithuania.

The soldiers, who were discovered in an M88 armored vehicle that sank into a swamp, were all 25 or younger. Sgt. Jose Duenez, Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois; Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, were all identified by officials on Tuesday.

A fourth soldier was found on Tuesday, but his identity has not yet been released.

All three men were M1 Abrams tank system maintainers. Their vehicle was discovered in a peat bog near Pabradė, Lithuania, after disappearing on March 25.

3 AMERICAN SOLDIERS DECEASED AFTER US ARMORED VEHICLE PULLED FROM LITHUANIAN SWAMP 

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  Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, was identified by authorities on April 1. (Handout)

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  Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California, was identified by authorities on April 1. (Handout)

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  Sgt. Jose Duenez, Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois, was identified by authorities on April 1. (Handout)

The soldiers went missing “while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle,” according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa. 

Duenez served in the Army for over seven years and was assigned to 5th Sqn., 7th Cav. Regt at Fort Stewart, previously serving with the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. A graduate of the Army Basic Leader Course and the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations Course, he deployed to Germany in 2022 and Poland in 2021.

Franco served in the Army for over six years and was assigned to the 5th Sqn., 7th Cav. Regt. at Fort Stewart in February 2019. He also graduated from the Army Basic Leader Course and the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations Course and deployed to Korea in 2020, and Germany in 2022.

Taitano, the youngest of the three, had served in the Army for nearly two years and was assigned to 5th Sqn., 7th Cav. Regt. at Fort Stewart. It was his first deployment.

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Recovery efforts for the four missing U.S. soldiers near the spot where their Hercules armored vehicle was found submerged at a training range in Pabrade, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

“This loss is simply devastating,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, the 3rd Infantry Division commanding general, said in a statement. “These men were honored Soldiers of the Marne Division. We are wrapping our arms around the families and loved ones of our Soldiers during incredibly difficult time.”

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the tragedy “another stark reminder of the selfless sacrifice of our brave military men and women who risk their lives around the world every day to keep us safe.”

U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Kara McDonald and U.S. Army service members stand near an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle at the site of a rescue operation in Lithuania where another M88 disappeared on March 28. (Reuters/Janis Laizans)

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“The president, the Secretary of Defense and the entire White House are praying for the victims, friends and family during this unimaginable time,” she added.

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton and Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can follow her on X at @andreamargs or send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.