The local authorities decided on Thursday to erect a memorial for four US soldiers who drowned in a swamp near the Pabradė training area in March as President Gitanas Nausėda bestows state awards on them posthumously.
The Municipal Council of Švenčionys District unanimously approved the memorial plan, with Mayor Rimantas Klipčius saying that discussions on the nature of the memorial will continue.
“Various discussions will continue and the councillors will be kept informed of the progress of this process and, if any changes are needed, additional requests will be made to the council,” the mayor said.
The municipal budget for the design and installation of the memorial will amount to 10,000 euros.
The local authorities have also approached the Defence Ministry, the US Embassy, the government and the Lithuanian Armed Forces to help find the most appropriate way of honouring the memory of the US troops who perished while serving in Lithuania.
Meanwhile, President Gitanas Nausėda has decided to posthumously award the fallen US soldiers, the presidential office told BNS Thursday, adding that the US soldiers have been awarded medals of the Order of the Cross of Vytis for their merits in strengthening the national defence system, exceptional devotion to duty and self-sacrifice in the performance of their duties during the NATO-allied exercises.
The President posthumously awarded the US Army Staff Sergeant Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, from Michigan, Staff Sergeant Jose Duenez, 25, from Illinois, Staff Sergeant Edvin F. Franco, 25, from California, and Sergeant Dante D. Taitano, 21, from Guam.
“According to our information, the relatives of the US servicemen who died in Lithuania will come to receive the awards on July 6,” the office told BNS.
The four US soldiers went missing with their M88 Hercules armoured recovery vehicle during a training exercise at the Pabradė training area on March 25. The search and rescue operation lasted a week and involved Lithuanian, US, Polish, Estonian troops, officials and civilians.
The vehicle and the bodies of the soldiers were recovered from a swamp about a week later.
People in Lithuania donated over 200,000 euros to the families of the fallen soldiers during a fundraising campaign initiated by Laisvės TV.
The cause of the soldiers’ deaths is being investigated by the American side, and the Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office has already closed the related pre-trial investigation.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
