A ceremony to honor and farewell the United States soldiers who died in the Pabradė swamp at the training ground was held in Vilnius on Thursday.
The cortege carrying the remains of the Americans first stopped On the Cathedral Square, where he was welcomed by Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda, Chief of the Army Raimundas Vaikšnoras, Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė, other officials, ambassadors.
The bells of the Cathedral rang out to accompany the soldiers as the cortege moved along Gediminas Avenue, lined up here. soldiers paid their respects to the dead, some people were sad.
"I think that in recent days we have become convinced of how important it is to have strong and reliable allies and, more importantly, what I am particularly proud of, is that our nation, our people, were and are ready to help with all their might," G. Nausėda told reporters.
"We ourselves have experienced many different trials in our history, so we understand well what loss is, what death is, what honorable performance of duty is, in order to ensure that there is peace and harmony in Lithuania and that no external enemy can attempt to undermine our independence," he said.
The head of state expressed his condolences to the relatives of the fallen soldiers, their families, and the entire United States.
"The readiness to be with us, as they say, in a difficult neighborhood, is the best proof of who our friends are today," said G. Nausėda.
The President thanked everyone involved in the rescue operation, including partners from Poland and Estonia. According to G. Nausėda, these people "did not count the hours, they worked day and night."
"This is the best proof of what is NATO "and that this NATO is invincible and will be invincible," the head of state said.
"This is important for our country"
More than a thousand people gathered in Cathedral Square and Gediminas Avenue, carrying Lithuanian and JAV flags.
"I came out of civic duty, solidarity, this is important for our country, our citizens," 39-year-old lawyer Inga, who came to the farewell, told BNS.
At the time, 77-year-old Antanas, a former army volunteer who is now involved in social activities, told BNS that he came because he knows what it means to be a soldier.
"The emotions are such that when we defend our homeland, and they came to help us, (...) came from another country to defend us, it would be illogical not to show respect," the man said.
25-year-old student Karolina Jočytė told BNS that she came to the farewell because she felt a duty to show solidarity with the fallen soldiers.
"I think the idea that foreign soldiers died in our country, part of NATO forces, is sensitive, as the media everywhere writes, it shows our strength as NATO," the girl said.
"Although this is a painful event, the entire rescue operation has shown that our forces are strong enough and can carry out complex operations," she said.
From Cathedral Square, the cortege traveled along Gediminas Avenue to the J. Tumas-Vaižgantas intersection, and from there to Vilnius Airport, from where the remains will be flown back to their homeland.
Over 200 thousand euros raised for the families of the victims
The farewell ceremony was organized by the Ministry of National Defense, the US Embassy in Lithuania, and the organization "Strong Together".
The television station "Laisvės TV", which initiated a fundraising campaign for the families of the victims, announces that it has collected more than 200 thousand euros.
As BNS previously reported, four US soldiers traveling in an M88 Hercules armored vehicle went missing on March 25 during exercises at the Pabradė training ground.
The search and rescue operation lasted a week and involved soldiers, officers, and civilians from Lithuania, the United States, Poland, and Estonia.
An armored vehicle with the bodies of three soldiers was pulled from the swamp on Monday, March 31st; a fourth drowned man was found on Tuesday, April 1st. a soldier.
Authors: Karolina Ambrazaitytė, Vilmantas Venckūnas
