Donald Trump has been criticized for his absence during the dignified transfer of four U.S. soldiers who tragically lost their lives in a training accident in Lithuania.
Instead, the U.S. president attended a LIV Golf event at his Trump National Doral Miami golf course on Thursday night.
A ceremony was held by the Lithuanian president to honor the fallen soldiers who perished after their tactical vehicle disappeared in a peat bog about a week ago. The search operation involved Lithuanian, Polish, and U.S. soldiers, along with rescue teams, combing through forests and swamps at the Gen. Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in Pabrade, located approximately 6 miles west of the Belarus border.
The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was eventually retrieved from the bog on Monday, with the last body being recovered on Tuesday. On Thursday, leaders from the Baltic country, both political and religious, joined thousands of citizens to pay their respects to the four American soldiers who died during the exercise.
President Gitanas Nausėda, along with other dignitaries, stood in respect as the hearses carrying the bodies paraded past en route to Vilnius airport in the nation's capital. From there, they were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where they will be laid to rest this week.
The procession reportedly moved several onlookers to tears. Nausėda noted that the public and military's reaction to the soldiers' disappearance was deeply rooted in the country's own challenging history.
"For us, it is more than a duty - it is an emotion. We have experienced trials in our history, and therefore, we understand well what loss is, what death is, what honorable duty is," he expressed during his address to the assembled crowd, which included educators and youngsters brandishing Lithuanian and U.S. flags as a tribute to the deceased soldiers, who perished in a region shadowed by the dread of Russian hostility due to its closeness to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Trump was absent from the ceremony at Dover Air Force Base to receive the returning soldiers; he was instead attending a LIV Golf event at his golf resort in Florida.
Social media users were incensed by Trump's scheduling decision and lambasted him for disregarding the troops and skipping an occasion that his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, would likely have attended. Compounding the controversy, Trump had stated just a week prior that he was oblivious to the soldiers' disappearance, informing journalists he hadn't received any briefings.
"A man's gotta have a code. Trump's code is that the Saudis are paying him millions to host the golf tournament, so that's where he is," Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch.com and a staunch critic of Trump, wrote in a post on X, alongside an image from NBC News' live blog entry detailing Trump's choice.
"Imagine a foreign country honoring four dead American soldiers - unlike Trump who says he doesn't know anything about it ... loser POTUS," another user, @BernardMalmamud, said in response to a video from a Lithuanian politician showing the country's support for the soldiers.
The gravity of loss was deeply felt as another user, @AaronPe78166320, pointedly addressed Trump on his leisure activities: "Four of our dead Soldiers will be flying in to Dover this weekend. But you gotta golf," reacting to a tweet featuring Trump's political advertisement amidst his implementation of impactful tariffs on many nations, including EU member Lithuania.
Fallen as part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, these soldiers were engaged in a NATO-related tactical mission when they tragically died. Recognized by the U.S. Army are Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, from Battle Creek, Michigan; Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr. , 25, from Joliet, Illinois; Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, from Glendale, California; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, from Dededo, Guam.
Their deployment involved approximately 3,500 soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team to Poland and the Baltic states for a nine-month stint under Operation Atlantic Resolve. This operation supports NATO allies and partners in light of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, beginning on the somber date of Feb. 24, 2022.
