BURSTThe Army said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers are missing in Lithuania.
The U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a press release that the missing soldiers, part of the Army’s 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, are close to the Lithuanian city of Pabradė within a training area. The U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and Lithuanian law enforcement are among those looking for the soldiers.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” the commanding general of the V Corps, Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, said in the release. “It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders.”
The Army said the soldiers were in middle of tactical training when they went missing near Pabradė, a city northeast of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, close to the country’s border with Belarus.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces said that a “notification was received” about the missing soldiers around 4:45 p.m. local time Tuesday.
“A rescue mission began yesterday involving helicopters of the Lithuanian Air Forces and the State Border Guard,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces added in an update on its website.
The Fort Stewart, Ga.- based 3rd Infantry Division said in a Wednesday post on Facebook that “thoughts and prayers are with our Raider Brigade Soldiers and Families during the search for our four missing Dogface Soldiers in Lithuania.”
The Hill has reached out to the Army for further comment.
Updated at 1:29 p.m. EDT