--- title: "Army locates Hercules vehicle that missing 3rd Infantry Division soldiers were in" description: "The M88 Hercules of four soldiers who went missing during a training exercise in Lithuania was found submerged during a search." date: "2025-03-26" modified: "2025-03-26" authors: - name: "Matt White" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/matt-white/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/soldiers-missing-lithuania/" categories: - "Army" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # Army locates Hercules vehicle that missing 3rd Infantry Division soldiers were in ![U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew E. Delamater, from Portland, Tennessee with India Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based out of Fort Riley, Kansas conducts familiarization training on an M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Extraction System with Soldiers of 1-16th Infantry Regiment at Mihail Koglaniceanu Air Base, Romania, March 16, 2019. The Soldiers are conducting the training in preparation for their upcoming missions with allied and partner nations as part of Atlantic Resolve. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. True Thao)]() *Four soldiers were missing in Lithuania, the Army said Monday morning. Local media reported they were crew members of an M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle, pictured here in this 2019 photo. Army photo Staff Sgt. True Thao* The Army said it had found the vehicle that four soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division were in when they disappeared from a training exercise in Lithuania, [U.S. Army Africa and Europe confirmed Wednesday.]() The Army did not provide any updates on the whereabouts of the soldiers. "The vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area after a search by U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and other Lithuanian authorities," the Army said in a release. The four disappeared in a training area near Pabradė, which sits less than 10 miles from the border of Belarus. The Army said all four were members 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, which is based in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Lithuanian media reported that the soldiers were the crew of an M88 Hercules, a tracked, tank-like vehicle used on the battlefield as an armored tow truck, recovering disabled armored vehicles. The soldiers were "conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident," the Army said. “I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general. “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.” *This story will be updated*. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **The Army’s** [**Master Combat Badges**]() **will be coming to soldiers this month** - **Air Force** [**shoots down Houthi drones**]() **launched at Navy carrier strike group** - **Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie ‘Glory’** [**erased**]() **from Pentagon website** - **‘**[**Saving Private Ryan**]()**’ didn’t make the Army’s list of most accurate movie portrayals** - **Army reveals designs for** [**Mountaineering and Mariner Badges**]() ## Author Matt White is a senior editor at Task & Purpose*.* He writes on news, people and events that affect the lives of those in the Army, Air Force and Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. He also helps direct and edit coverage across Task & Purpose’s newsroom. He has written widely on military aviation and mishaps, service members with unique stories, and special operations including [combat search and rescue](). Got a story to tell? You can reach Matt at [matthew.white@taskandpurpose.com]() ### Author social links [Facebook]()