The motorcade procession for the fallen soldiers stopped in front of Vilnius Cathedral for blessings by Vilnius Archbishop Gintaras Grušas in Gediminas Avenue, with the attendance of President Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė, Lithuania’s Chief of Defence Gen Raimundas Vaikšnoras, Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė and other officials, politicians and service members.
The procession then moved along Gediminas Avenue to the intersection with Tumo-Vaižganto Street.
Speaking to reporters in Cathedral Square, President Nausėda expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to the people of the United States.
"Their readiness to stand with us, as they themselves say, in a difficult neighbourhood, is the best proof of who our friends are today," Nausėda said, adding that this attitude makes NATO invincible.
Hundreds of residents gathered to show solidarity with the people of the US, with some saying that unity in the face of such a disaster is essential.
"These young people came to us to defend us. This accident is very painful (...) My grandson is also in the army. I feel very sorry for these guys," Danutė, a pensioner who came to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers, told ELTA, adding that she had been following the news about the rescue operation for the entire past week.
"I came to pay my respects because people served in Lithuania and died in Lithuania. They are our allies and we need to show solidarity with the American people. The state is not only about politics, it is also about people," said Robertas, a student.
Lithuania was hit by the news of missing US military personnel more than a week ago. The search and rescue operation followed a 25 March report of four US troops and a tracked vehicle gone missing during tactical training at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė.
The vehicle was recovered from a swamp on 31 March and bodies of three American soldiers were discovered. The body of the deceased fourth soldier was found in the afternoon on 1 April.
The soldiers from the 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were deployed to Lithuania for the Operation Atlantic Resolve. They were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.