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Reverence and Dignity vs. Callousness and Dereliction of Duty [1]
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Date: 2025-04-07
Reverence and Dignity vs. Callousness and Dereliction of Duty
The outpouring of grief began on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, after it was announced that the four missing U.S. soldiers had all been found dead. Lithuania’s Defense Ministry expressed the nation’s deep sorrow: “The tragic incident has shaken us all to the depths of our hearts. These soldiers will never be forgotten.” (Source:
https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2025-04-02/mourners-gather-soldiers-death-lithuania-17341146.html) A growing memorial of white flowers and candles appeared near the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius as hundreds of Lithuanians gathered to pay their respects. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys added, “We mourn this tragic loss with profound sorrow. In this time of grief, the Lithuanian nation stands in solidarity with the families of the soldiers and with the American people” (Source: Ibid)
The soldiers—Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins (28, Battle Creek, MI), Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr. (25, Joliet, IL), Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco (25, Glendale, CA), and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano (21, Dededo, Guam)—were all members of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. They lost their lives when their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle sank into a peat bog. Their photos can be seen at
https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2025-04-01/soldier-deaths-recovery-lithuania-17331572.html.
On Wednesday, April 2, hundreds more Lithuanians marched through Vilnius carrying wreaths and waving American and Lithuanian flags. Once again, crowds gathered by the U.S. Embassy to show their grief and solidarity.
By Thursday morning, April 3, thousands of Lithuanians—children, civilians, soldiers, and dignitaries—filled Cathedral Square and the surrounding streets leading to the airport. During a powerful ceremony, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda declared, “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.” (Source:
https://apnews.com/article/lithuania-us-missing-soldiers-ceremony-b1877203ae467c5028d1916f1f3fa63e) The accompanying slideshow of the day’s events in this AP article captures the raw, heartfelt emotion shared by an entire nation. It is worth your time.
Honorable duty—the kind displayed by these four American servicemen and echoed by the people of Lithuania—is one of the most sacred human values. It lives in the choices of generations of U.S. soldiers, and in the way strangers across the globe honor their sacrifice.
And then there is the opposite: dereliction of duty—a stain that marks the lowest failings of a soldier, a commander, or a president.
While Americans tend to focus on the Dignified Transfer Ceremony at Dover Air Force Base—where these four soldiers were bound as their hearses left Cathedral Square, their caskets lifted into a plane and flown home—there was something else looming as the aircraft landed on American soil.
The families of the fallen already knew: the President of the United States would not be there. The Commander in Chief chose dinner with Saudi dignitaries at Trump National Doral Golf Club over honoring these soldiers. The optics were clear, and so was the message.
You know, the Saudis:
1 Who established and funded Wahhabi religious schools across the Middle East, fueling generations of militant extremism.
2 Who have long manipulated oil prices to the detriment of global and American consumers.
3 Twenty-two of whom were responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
4 Who murdered and dismembered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
5 Who systematically silences dissent by imprisoning and disappearing journalists, activists, and even royals.
6 Who handed $2 billion to Jared Kushner for his investment fund.
7 Who whitewash their global image by buying soccer clubs, hosting F1 races, and launching LIV Golf.
8 Who purchases influence in elite American institutions via massive donations and endowments.
Those Saudis.
And it got worse. As journalist Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling reported, “It’s possible that the deceased servicemen don’t matter at all to Trump. Last week, the President was caught completely in the dark more than 24 hours after the soldiers first went missing. At an Oval Office news briefing,Trump casually admitted that he was not aware that the U.S. Army members had disappeared during a training exercise in Lithuania.” (Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-gross-plan-ceremony-soldiers-154034219.html)
Commander in Chief? This is no commander. This is a dereliction of duty in its most callous form.
And so, it is not just grief that brings weight to the images from Lithuania—it is contrast. The dignity of a small nation that stood up to honor the fallen casts a long shadow over the cold indifference of the American President.
Reverence and dignity were on full display in Lithuania as thousands honored four American soldiers who died far from home. In their death, these men united two nations in grief and solidarity. Yet their sacrifice also exposed something darker: the jarring disconnect between the values they embodied and the callousness of a Commander in Chief who could not be bothered to care.
At moments like this, we see the difference between nations who remember and leaders who forget. We see the power of empathy, of honor, and of shared mourning. And we are reminded that the true test of leadership is not in wealth or pageantry—but in showing up for those who gave everything.
Day 75:days left to January 20, 2029: 1,384 days
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