The U.S. Army has identified the fourth soldier who died in a training accident in Lithuania, following the recovery of his body after a weeklong search involving hundreds of personnel from three countries.
The 3rd Infantry Division announced Wednesday that the soldier was Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan. He, along with two fellow soldiers, was posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant in recognition of their service.
The two other soldiers promoted were Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois, and Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California. The fourth soldier who lost his life was Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.
The bodies of Duenez, Franco, and Taitano were recovered on Monday after U.S., Polish, and Lithuanian forces, along with other rescue teams, extracted their M88 Hercules recovery vehicle from a peat bog at the Gen. Silvestras Žukauskas training area near Pabradė, roughly six miles from the Belarusian border.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.
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