Army soldier from Glendale among 4 service members found dead after training accident in Lithuania

Three U.S. soldiers, including one from Glendale, have been identified after four of them were found dead following a training accident in Lithuania.

The 3rd Infantry Division on Tuesday released the names of three soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team who were previously reported missing while operating a M88A2 Hercules during a recovery mission: Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale; Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam; and Sgt. Jose Duenez, Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois.

The identity of the fourth deceased soldier has not been made public.

Franco was a M1 Abrams tank system maintainer who served in the Army for over six years. Following his successful completion of initial entry training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Franco was assigned to 5th Sqn., 7th Cav. Regt. at Fort Stewart in February 2019.

Franco was a graduate of the Army Basic Leader Course and the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations course. He deployed to Korea in 2020 and Germany in 2022, the Army said in a statement.

His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terror Service Medal.

“Sgt. Edvin Franco’s legacy will remain with us always. His 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,” said Army Capt. Madyson K. Wellens. “More than an exceptional leader and Soldier, Edvin was a friend whose influence touched so many.”

The grim discovery brought to an end a massive weeklong search for the four service members whose armored vehicle was pulled from a swampy training area, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

The bodies of the three other soldiers were recovered Monday after U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities dug the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive Gen. Silvestras ukauskas training ground in the town of Pabrad.

The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing a week ago, the Army said.

“This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commander, said in a statement Tuesday. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.”

Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabrad, 6 miles (10 kilometers) west of the border with Belarus. The 63-ton (126,000-pound) armored vehicle was discovered March 26 submerged in 15 feet (4.5 meters) of water, but it took days to pull it out of the bog.

Lithuanian armed forces provided military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and search and rescue personnel. They brought in additional excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts and several hundred tons of gravel and earth to help the recovery.

Navy divers maneuvered through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment with zero visibility to reach the vehicle Sunday evening and attach steel cables so it could be pulled out. When just three of the four bodies were found, the divers began a search of the bog area for the fourth.

Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, expressed gratitude to the U.S. allies who sent troops and equipment to help in the search and recovery.

“I can’t say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies – and our own Sailors, Airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers – have enabled us to find and bring home our Soldiers,” Donahue said in the statement. “This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.”