[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 237 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 237

  Honoring the service and memory of Army Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the service and memory of Army Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez 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 Duenez 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. Duenez 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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the memory and service of Army Staff Sgt. Jose 
        Duenez 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 
        Duenez 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.
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