Fourth Fort Stewart Soldier found dead in Lithuania, investigation continues
The soldiers went missing in the early morning hours of March 25 in their M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle. Early the next morning, U.S. Army units supported by Lithuanian Armed Forces and law enforcement 'conducted a search in the area and found the soldiers' vehicle submerged in a body of water."
Of the four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing, three were found dead in Lithuania on March 31, as previously reported by the Savannah Morning News. In the early morning of March 31, the M88A2, which weighs 63 tons, was removed from the peat bog.
The soldier was found after a search by hundreds of rescue workers from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Polish Armed Forces, Estonian Armed Forces, and many other elements of the Lithuanian government and civilian agencies, the press release added.
The Soldier's identity is being withheld pending confirmation of notification of next of kin.
"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our Soldiers,' said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. '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. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.'
The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident.
'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, 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.'
'As the fourth and final Soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,' said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general, V Corps. 'It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.'
More: Three missing Fort Stewart Soldiers found dead in Lithuania after conducting mission
The soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR), which was launched by the United States in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014. The soldiers were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Inf. Div. commanding general. 'Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.'
"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,' added Norrie. 'Now, it's time to bring them home.'
Also on April 1, Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) released a statement.
'I join all Georgians in mourning the devastating loss of four brave servicemembers from Ft. Stewart's 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, who tragically lost their lives in Lithuania during a training mission.
'I send my deepest condolences to their families, loved ones, and fellow servicemembers on their loss.
'Our servicemembers risk their lives defending our nation and upholding our commitments to our allies. We will never forget their heroism and bravery.
'May their memories be a blessing.'
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Fourth Fort Stewart Soldier found dead in Lithuania
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
With a Single Image, U.S. Deportation Narrative Is Turned on Its Head
'No one will ever forgive me.' Those were the words Dahud Hanid Ortiz wrote in an email to an in-law after he barged into the office of a lawyer he believed was having an affair with his wife and brutally killed three people, the authorities say. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime. But forgiven or not, a beaming Mr. Hanid Ortiz appears in a photo released by the State Department of 10 Americans and U.S. permanent residents newly freed from a Venezuelan prison as part of a prisoner swap. At the time of the exchange, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the prisoners had been 'wrongfully detained' in Venezuela. But Mr. Hanid Ortiz has been less generous in his self-assessment, at least when it comes to his actions in Madrid, almost a decade ago. 'I am responsible for everything,' he wrote in the email to his wife's sister, the authorities in Spain said when they were seeking his extradition from Venezuela, where Mr. Hanid Ortiz, a dual U.S.-Venezuelan citizen, had fled. The killings took place in 2016. Mr. Hanid Ortiz arrived at the lawyer's office in search of a man he thought was having an affair with his wife, the Spanish authorities say. But he killed the wrong man, beating him to death along with a woman who was also in the office. He fatally stabbed another woman there. 'I did terrible things,' Mr. Hanid Ortiz, a U.S. Army veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Iraq, said in the email. He said, 'I lost my head.' How Mr. Hanid Ortiz came to be on the plane with the other free Americans, at least some of whom had been seized by the Venezuelan government as bargaining chips, is uncertain. President Trump is better known for his vows to expel ostensible criminals from the United States, not repatriate them. The image of a convicted killer on a plane en route from Venezuela, surrounded by cheerful people waving American flags, is at best problematic for the White House. 'That runs counter to Trump's message that he's trying to purge this country of immigrants who are violent criminals,' said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor at the Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. The State Department did not respond to questions about why the administration had decided to include Mr. Hanid Ortiz in the prisoner swap. It has also not said whether he is now a free man. Parin Behrooz and Julie Turkewitz contributed reporting.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Former U.S. marine freed in Venezuela-U.S. prisoner swap was convicted of triple murder
One of the 10 American citizens or residents freed by the government of Nicolás Maduro in a recent high-profile prisoner exchange with the United States was a fugitive convicted of a triple murder in Spain, according to reports by Venezuelan and Spanish media outlets. Dahud Hanid Ortiz, 54, a former U.S. Marine born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, was convicted of killing three people in Madrid in 2016. He was sentenced by a Venezuelan court to 30 years in prison on July 22, according to court documents and statements by the victims' families. Ortiz, who holds U.S. and German citizenship, was among those repatriated to the United States on July 18 as part of a prisoner swap. The deal involved the release of 252 Venezuelan nationals who had been held in a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, many of them accused by U.S. officials of allegedly being criminals or part of the feared Tren de Aragua gang. Ortiz is currently believed to be in Texas, where he landed after his release. As of press time, the U.S. State Department had not provided information about his legal status, or whether he remains in custody. A former combat veteran, Ortiz served in Iraq and South Korea and was awarded the Purple Heart. However, he was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army after being found guilty of falsifying documents related to his residence and military record. After being discharged from the marines, his personal life unraveled. His relationship with a German doctor, Irina Trippel, crumbled, and when she began a new love life with Peruvian lawyer, Víctor Yoel Salas Cobeñas, the former Marine reacted with obsessive fury. On June 22, 2016, Ortiz executed a meticulous and bloody plan in Madrid, according to court documents. He showed up at the lawyer's office and, mistaking an Ecuadorian client for his romantic rival, murdered him. He then attacked and killed two women who worked in the office: Maritza Osorio Riverón, a secretary, and Elisa Consuegra Gálvez, a lawyer and Salas's partner. Before fleeing, he set fire to the office and left a fake business card with the logo of a supposed Mexican cartel, attempting to mislead the investigation. Following the attack, Ortiz fled Spain. An international arrest warrant was issued, and he was eventually detained in 2018 by Venezuelan authorities during a routine security operation in the state of Bolívar. For years, Ortiz was held in the Caracas headquarters of Venezuela's Military Counterintelligence Directorate, initially under suspicion of espionage. In December 2021, Venezuelan and international media revealed Ortiz's identity and the charges against him. According to media reports, he had been using false identities and speaking multiple languages while detained, including Spanish, English, German and Russian. He was tried and sentenced in Venezuela rather than in Spain for the crimes committed in Madrid because the Venezuelan Constitution prohibits the extradition of Venezuelan-born citizens, but the country's laws allows Venezuelan citizens to be prosecuted for crimes committed abroad. Ortiz was sentenced in January 2024 to 30 years in prison, the maximum sentence provided for in Venezuelan law, on charges of homicide and arson. On June 1 of this year, Ortiz was removed from his cell and taken to a separate location where he recorded video messages addressed to U.S. officials, claiming to be in poor health and without access to food or medicine. Sources familiar with the situation said he was instructed to follow a prepared script. The decision to include Ortiz in the prisoner exchange has drawn criticism from relatives of the victims. Salas, the Madrid-based attorney whose law office was the site of the attack, spoke publicly after receiving confirmation of Ortiz's sentence. 'We all feel deceived, betrayed and defrauded,' Salas said during an interview with the Spanish television program Vamos a Ver. 'Dahud Hanid Ortiz was never a political prisoner. He was a convicted and sentenced murderer. The court documents make that absolutely clear.' Salas also questioned the involvement of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who reportedly played a mediating role in the negotiation between Venezuela and the United States. He urged all parties involved to take steps to acknowledge and rectify what he described as a miscarriage of justice.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Iran Navy Confronts US Destroyer in Gulf of Oman
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Iran deployed a naval helicopter to warn off a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Oman, the country's state media reported, in a clash Tehran says forced the American vessel to retreat. The confrontation took place at around 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, July 23, Tasnim reported, and involved the USS Fitzgerald. The report claimed that the destroyer threatened to target the Iranian helicopter unless it left the area. But the helicopter pilot persisted, Tasnim said, and the USS Fitzgerald ultimately changed course. Newsweek has contacted the United States Naval Forces Central Command's press affairs section via email for comment. Tasnim shared a video it said was of the incident. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
