May 20, 2025
Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Schumer, Mr. McConnell, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Coons, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Peters, Ms. Slotkin, and Mr. Padilla) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Honoring the service and memory of Army Staff Sgt. Jose Dueñez Jr., Army Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, Army Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, and Army Pfc. Dante D. Taitano of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, who died during a recovery mission in support of a regularly scheduled training exercise while serving in Lithuania.
Whereas four United States soldiers, Army Staff Sgt. Jose Dueñez Jr., Army Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, Army Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, and Army Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, were all members of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Pabrade training ground, Lithuania, since February 2025;
Whereas these four United States soldiers were part of a rotational deployment of 3,500 members of the United States Armed Forces as part of the United States-led NATO Operation Atlantic Resolve to enhance deterrence along the NATO alliance’s eastern flank;
Whereas the bodies of these four United States soldiers were found on March 31 and April 1, 2025, after a tragic accident while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized vehicle when their heavy recovery vehicle sank in a bog;
Whereas the accident triggered a complex and weeklong recovery effort with hundreds of allied United States, Lithuanian, Polish, and Estonian personnel and equipment to finally extract them from the mud;
Whereas in the spirit of allied solidarity, thousands of Lithuanians, including Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, joined a farewell ceremony on April 3, 2025, in a moving gesture to mourn the deaths of these four United States soldiers before their bodies were returned to the United States;
Whereas Staff Sgt. Dueñez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois, was a M1 Abrams tank system maintainer with more than seven years in the Army, whose decorations included the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Service Medal;
Whereas Staff Sgt. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California, was a M1 Abrams tank system maintainer who served in the Army for more than six years, whose awards and decorations 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;
Whereas Staff Sgt. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan, was an artillery mechanic with more than seven years in the Army whose awards and decorations included the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Master Technician Badge;
Whereas Pfc. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, was a M1 Abrams tank system maintainer who served in the Army for nearly two years and was the recipient of the Army Commendation Medal; and
Whereas these four United States soldiers served with distinction, upheld the highest traditions of the United States Army, and were part of a critical allied NATO mission to protect freedom from Russian aggression: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
honors the memory and service of Army Staff Sgt. Jose Dueñez Jr., Army Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, Army Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, and Army Pfc. Dante D. Taitano for their dedicated service to the United States and its NATO allies;
(2)
expresses gratitude for the hundreds of brave United States, Lithuanian, Polish, and Estonian personnel involved in a complex effort to recover the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Jose Dueñez Jr., Army Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, Army Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, and Army Pfc. Dante D. Taitano;
(3)
recognizes the outpouring of nationwide sentiment by the people of Lithuania in appreciation of the heroism of these four United States soldiers and the continuing close alliance of their nation with the United States; and
(4)
reaffirms the importance of continued Western leadership in enhancing deterrence in the Baltic region.