WASHINGTON — The Army has officially identified the fourth soldier who lost his life in a training accident in Lithuania. This announcement comes after the lengthy recovery operation concluded, which spanned an entire week and involved hundreds of personnel from three different countries.
The 3rd Infantry Division disclosed on Wednesday that the soldier was Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, hailing from Battle Creek, Michigan. In recognition of their service, Knutson-Collins and two other soldiers who perished in the incident were posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
The soldiers elevated in rank alongside Knutson-Collins were Jose Duenez Jr., 25, from Joliet, Illinois, and Edvin F. Franco, 25, from Glendale, California. Also among the deceased was Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, aged 21, from Dededo, Guam.
Their bodies were discovered on Monday after a cooperative mission by U.S., Polish, and Lithuanian forces extracted their M88 Hercules vehicle, ensnared in a peat bog, from the vast Gen. Silvestras Žukauskas training grounds near Pabrad?, a mere six miles from the Belarus border.
All four soldiers were affiliated with the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team within the 3rd Infantry Division and were participating in a tactical training exercise. Their absence was noted on March 25, and the discovery of their 63-ton armored vehicle, which was submerged in 15 feet of water, occurred the subsequent day. The recovery of the vehicle stretched over several days.
Knutson-Collins was an artillery mechanic with more than seven years of dedicated service in the Army. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, and had previously been deployed to Korea in 2020.
“Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,” expressed Capt. Jackson Patillo, a leader in the 1st Battalion. “Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member of our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.”
A dignified formal departure ceremony is slated for Thursday in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. This event will feature participation from senior Lithuanian officials and military dignitaries. The fallen soldiers will ultimately be transported to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.