Lithuania uses dogs to find last missing American soldier after their vehicle sank in a swamp

The search for the fourth and final missing U.S. soldier whose armored vehicle sank in a swamp in Lithuania last week now includes police working dogs. 

On Monday, three American soldiers were pronounced dead after the M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle was recovered from a peat bog near Pabradė, Lithuania. The vehicle went missing on March 25 during a mission to repair and tow a disabled tactical vehicle, as reported by U.S. Army Europe and Africa. 

“Yesterday afternoon, police working dogs from the Lithuanian Armed Forces were deployed for the search, and Estonia, a NATO ally, joined the recovery operations early this morning,” stated U.S. Army Europe and Africa on Tuesday.  

“Two Estonian recovery dogs, Tilt and Maik, and their handlers flew from Tallinn, Estonia. They arrived on scene at 2:00 a.m. and began searching at 7:00 a.m. this morning. Handlers have positioned the dogs in a U.S. Navy Rigid Inflatable Boat to locate any trace scents below the surface,” it added. 

A search is ongoing Tuesday for the fourth and final missing U.S. soldier in Lithuania. (U.S. Army/Staff Sgt. Christopher Saunders)

Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll wrote on X Monday that “We will not rest until the fourth and final Soldier is found and brought home.  

“No words can truly capture the pain of this loss, but my deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and fellow soldiers mourning their heroes,” he said. 

U.S. Army vehicles, including two M88 recovery vehicles, are near Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday as efforts continue to find a missing American soldier.
(AP/Mindaugas Kulbis)

U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced Monday that the armored vehicle was removed from the swamp “after a six-day-long effort that required tremendous resources from Lithuania, our steadfast ally, and hundreds of service members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces – along with other elements from the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies – to solve the engineering challenge of recovering the 63-ton-vehicle from an area surrounded by unstable ground conditions.”