U.S. Army identifies 4th soldier who died in training accident in Lithuania
The 3rd Infantry Division said Wednesday that the soldier was Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Mich. It said Knutson-Collins and two of the other soldiers who died have been posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.
The other two sergeants who were promoted were Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Ill., and Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale. The other soldier who died was Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.
Their three bodies were recovered Monday after U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and other rescuers dug their M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive Gen. Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in the town of Pabrade, six miles west of the border with Belarus.
All four soldiers were part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing March 25, the Army said. The 63-ton armored vehicle was discovered the following day submerged in 15 feet of water. It took days to pull it out of the bog.
Knutson-Collins, an artillery mechanic, had served in the Army for more than seven years and was assigned to 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment. He deployed to South Korea in 2020.
'Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,' said Capt. Jackson Patillo, a commander in the 1st Battalion. 'Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.'
There will be a formal dignified departure ceremony for the soldiers on Thursday in Vilnius, the capital, which is expected to include top Lithuanian officials and military leaders. They will eventually be transported to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Baldor writes for the Associated Press.
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New York Post
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- New York Post
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The man accused of fatally shooting two Idaho firefighters before killing himself last month had tried to join the fire department, and became angry when told he would need to go through training and testing. Wess Roley also tried to join the Army twice — his father was an Army veteran — but was disqualified after failing to follow through on tasks and appointments, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Tuesday at a press conference. The new revelations offer a more complete picture of the 20-year-old's resentments. Officials also presented evidence suggesting the attack was premeditated — a goodbye letter to his father they found in his truck and drawings in his home that appear to show a mountain parking lot with a shotgun being fired and a person aiming a rifle at his chin. 6 Idaho firefighter sniper Wess Roley was rejected by both the fire department and the Army. 'Tomorrow, I shall go to battle,' Roley wrote to his father. 'If I survive, it would be with upmost dishonor. 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'You'd kind of go, 'what the heck — why would you say that — it's a little messed up to say that,' he said. Roley got in trouble for drawing a swastika in a school book, and also liked to draw bombs, planes and 'military things,' Denen said. Roley also bragged about his time in Germany: 'He would always tell me, 'I'm a lot more German in every way compared to you.' Denen said he couldn't believe it when a friend texted an article about the shootings. 6 Idaho shooter Wess Roley in an undated Facebook photo posted by his mother Heather Lynn Caldwell. Facebook/Heather Lynn Caldwell 'It's just so shocking,' Denen said. 'With Wess, he was definitely different when we were younger but it's hard to think that anyone could ever do something like that.' Mother got protection order against his father Court records show his parents, Heather and Jason Roley, were married in San Bernardino, California, in 2008. Jason Roley served in the Army from 2007 to 2015, including two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and left the service as a staff sergeant, an Army spokesperson said. The family lived in Grafenwöhr, Germany, home to a large U.S. Army base, from 2010 to 2015, when Wess Roley was 5 to 10 years old. Records show his mother filed for divorce after they moved to Phoenix and sought a protection order saying Jason Roley posed a threat to her and their son. Her petition said he was an alcoholic and had been arrested for assaulting her on Oct. 1, 2015. 'He was very intoxicated,' she wrote. 'He was crying inconsolably saying that he was going to commit suicide. Things escalated. He punched several holes in the walls, destroyed my cell phone, pushed me to the ground.' Jason Roley texted her after his arrest saying he was going to kill himself, she wrote. 'Jason verbally threatened me by saying he would be waiting outside with a sniper rifle and burn the place down,' she wrote. 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'I would like give my Condolence's to all those family members who were Unfortunately Victims of yesterdays Crimes,' Dale Roley wrote. 'Those good Brave Firefighters were just doing there Job they did not deserve this!'
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Man who killed Idaho firefighters had been turned away by fire department, Army
The man accused of fatally shooting two Idaho firefighters before killing himself last month had tried to join the fire department, and became angry when told he would need to go through training and testing. Wess Roley also tried to join the Army twice — his father was an Army veteran — but was disqualified after failing to follow through on tasks and appointments, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Tuesday at a press conference. The new revelations offer a more complete picture of the 20-year-old's resentments. Officials also presented evidence suggesting the attack was premeditated — a goodbye letter to his father they found in his truck and drawings in his home that appear to show a mountain parking lot with a shotgun being fired and a person aiming a rifle at his chin. 'Tomorrow, I shall go to battle,' Roley wrote to his father. 'If I survive, it would be with upmost dishonor. I bid thee farewell." Next to his signature were two symbols that appear to be runes linked to Nazi ideology. Roley used gas, lighters and flint to start a series of fires at Canfield Mountain on June 29 to instigate a response, then shot at firefighters who asked him to move his vehicle, Norris said. He shot at others from a tree before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff said. "This was a premeditated ambush, a pure act of evil against the people we look to for help," Norris said. Killed were Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, 42, and Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52. Coeur d'Alene Fire Engineer David Tysdal, 47, was hospitalized in critical condition. Investigators hope to learn more from Roley's social media accounts, but it's clear that his frustrations were growing over time, the sheriff said. 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Roley lived with his mother, Heather Caldwell-Cuchiara, and stepfather in Phoenix, Arizona, before moving to northern Idaho to live with his father, Jason Roley, in 2024. Dieter Denen, who went to elementary, middle and high school with Roley, told the AP that Roley's aggression and 'racist' comments made classmates uncomfortable. 'He was really on edge a lot,' Denen said. Roley would say unkind or rude things to people of a different race, culture or religion, he said. 'You'd kind of go, 'what the heck — why would you say that — it's a little messed up to say that," he said. Roley got in trouble for drawing a swastika in a school book, and also liked to draw bombs, planes and 'military things,' Denen said. Roley also bragged about his time in Germany: 'He would always tell me, 'I'm a lot more German in every way compared to you." Denen said he couldn't believe it when a friend texted an article about the shootings. 'It's just so shocking," Denen said. "With Wess, he was definitely different when we were younger but it's hard to think that anyone could ever do something like that.' Court records show his parents, Heather and Jason Roley, were married in San Bernardino, California, in 2008. Jason Roley served in the Army from 2007 to 2015, including two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and left the service as a staff sergeant, an Army spokesperson said. The family lived in Grafenwöhr, Germany, home to a large U.S. Army base, from 2010 to 2015, when Wess Roley was 5 to 10 years old. Records show his mother filed for divorce after they moved to Phoenix and sought a protection order saying Jason Roley posed a threat to her and their son. Her petition said he was an alcoholic and had been arrested for assaulting her on Oct. 1, 2015. 'He was very intoxicated,' she wrote. 'He was crying inconsolably saying that he was going to commit suicide. Things escalated. He punched several holes in the walls, destroyed my cell phone, pushed me to the ground.' Jason Roley texted her after his arrest saying he was going to kill himself, she wrote. 'Jason verbally threatened me by saying he would be waiting outside with a sniper rifle and burn the place down,' she wrote. 'He said the only thing stopping him from going through with it was going to prison.' The judge ordered him to stay away from his wife and son and surrender any firearms. 'I am not a danger to my son or anyone else," Jason Roley responded. "The plaintiff did not tell the truth in her statement." The judge apparently believed her after a hearing. His order cited an act of domestic violence and said he might do it again. The protection would continue for the mother, but not their minor child. Three years later, Jason Roley applied for a marriage license, with Sara Peterson. Their social media pages say they're married and live in Priest River, Idaho, near Sandpoint, where Wess Roley had been living before he became homeless. Email and phone messages seeking Jason Roley's comment were not returned. His father, Dale Roley, wrote on Facebook that he's the grandfather. 'I would like give my Condolence's to all those family members who were Unfortunately Victims of yesterdays Crimes," Dale Roley wrote. 'Those good Brave Firefighters were just doing there Job they did not deserve this!'
