were matched only by the tenacity and drive. He never asked more of his soldiers than he was willing to give himself — a true testament to his character. More than an exceptional leader and soldier, Edvin was a friend whose influence touched so many.”

Franco had previously been identified by his wife, Georgia, as one of the missing soldiers. The couple has a newborn son.

She told ABC22 News in Savannah, Georgia, that she met her husband in 2022 after moving from Easley, South Carolina to Savannah. She said she knew something was wrong when he didn’t text her good morning, and hours later her fears were confirmed.

“They knocked on my door at 11 p.m. and told me their (soldiers’) status was unknown,” she told ABC22 News. “Since then, we’ve had crisis teams and chaplains with us. The support has been overwhelming.”

According to the Army, Franco was an M1 Abrams tank system maintainer who had been in the Army for more than six years. He did his initial training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment in February 2019. He served in Korea in 2020 and Germany in 2022.

His awards included the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terror Service Medal.

The other soldiers identified Tuesday were Sgt. Jose Duenez, Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.

The fourth soldier’s name has not been made public as family notifications continue.

“This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commander, said in a statement Tuesday. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.”

Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradé, 6 miles west of the border with Belarus. The 63-ton armored vehicle was discovered March 26 submerged in 15 feet of water, but it took days to pull it out of the bog.

Lithuanian armed forces provided military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and search and rescue personnel. They brought in additional excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts and several hundred tons of gravel and earth to help the recovery.

Navy divers maneuvered through thick layers of mud, clay and sediment with zero visibility to reach the vehicle Sunday evening and attach steel cables so it could be pulled out. When just three of the four bodies were found, the divers began a search of the bog area for the fourth.

Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, expressed gratitude to the U.S. allies who sent troops and equipment to help in the search and recovery.

“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,” Donahue said in the statement. “This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.”

Approximately 3,500 soldiers from the brigade deployed in January to locations across Poland and the Baltic states for a nine-month rotation as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which supports NATO allies and partners following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“This loss is simply devastating,” said Norrie. “We are wrapping our arms around the families and loved ones of our Soldiers” during this difficult time.

GoFundMe pages to support Franco’s family were established at gofundme.com/f/support-for-duenez-franco-families and gofundme.com/f/for-georgia-and-baby-preston.

City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.