Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
The U.S. Army identified on Wednesday the fourth and final soldier found deceased in a peat bog at a training site in Lithuania.
Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, was recovered from the bog Tuesday, one week after he and three other soldiers were reported missing while operating an M88A2 Hercules armored vehicle near Pabadre, Lithuania.
The other soldiers, found one day before Knutson-Collins, were identified Tuesday as 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. All four soldiers were from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
“It’s time to bring them all home,” the 3rd Infantry Division wrote on social media Wednesday.
At the time the soldiers were reported missing March 25, they had been conducting a maintenance mission with an M88A2 Hercules armored vehicle to recover another Army vehicle at a training area near Pabadre, Army officials previously said. The soldiers, permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were deployed to Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which has been sending rotations into Europe since Russia invaded the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014.
The family of Knutson-Collins, located in western Michigan, spoke to their local WOOD-TV news station about him Sunday, before the Army publicly identified him as the final missing soldier. Knutson-Collins was the father of five children and enlisted in the Army in 2017 at the age of 20, his father, Robert Collins, told the television station.
Collins told WOOD-TV that he was initially reluctant to see his son enlist, but added, “He even grew more as a man and a man that I totally respect. He just turned out to be awesome.”
Duenez was an M1 Abrams tank system maintainer and had served more than seven years in the Army. He deployed to Poland in 2021 and Germany in 2022, and he was currently serving in the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment.
“Sgt. Jose Duenez will always hold a special place in our hearts. As both a leader and a soldier, he set an example every day — always the first to arrive and the last to leave, greeting every challenge with a smile and a readiness to support anyone who required assistance,” said Capt. Madyson K. Wellens, a commander in his squadron.
Franco was also an M1 Abrams tank system maintainer who had been in the Army for more than six years. He deployed to Korea in 2020 and Germany in 2022.
Wellens said Franco’s “infectious smile and genuine joy in being with his team were matched only by the tenacity and drive. He never asked more of his soldiers than he was willing to give himself — a true testament to his character.”
Taitano was also an M1 Abrams tank system maintainer. He had been in the Army for nearly two years, and this was his first deployment.
Cpt. Matthew Lund, another 5th Squadron commander, said, “Taitano will always be remembered as the spark of the team. He wore a smile on his face no matter the environment or task and constantly brought the team together with his charisma and laughter.”
After they were reported missing March 25, search teams found the soldiers’ vehicle 15 feet underwater the following day. What followed was an arduous, multiday effort to get to the vehicle, which continued to sink and be encased in mud as time went on.
The recovery team grew to hundreds of people from the U.S., Lithuania, Poland and Estonia, the Army said. The team included engineers, divers and recovery dogs and their handlers, among others.
There was a breakthrough in the recovery effort Sunday when the Navy dive crew — after multiple failed attempts — attached steel cables to two of the hoist points on the M88A2 Hercules. To get to the hoist points, divers maneuvered through layers of mud, clay and sediment, using a ground-penetrating radar provided by Lithuanian experts to find their way.
Two hours after the cables were attached, the vehicle was unearthed from the bog. At that point, Duenez, Franco and Taitano were recovered, while Knutson-Collins remained missing. He was found in the bog Tuesday after the search team brought in recovery dogs and their handlers, as well as two specialized drone systems, to find him.
“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of 1st Armored Division. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, the Army said.
Military Times Editor Beth Sullivan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nikki Wentling is a senior editor at Military Times. She’s reported on veterans and military communities for nearly a decade and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
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