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Monday fire destroys Midway home
firecomfort
Neighbor Jemma Lester offer hugs to comfort Jacklyn Price. - photo by Phgoto by Patty Leon

PriceFire

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“I was hanging my clothes and I heard the sound like something falling, and as I went to turn around the fire came across the clothes line and knocked me to the floor,” Midway resident Jacklyn Price said.Price, 54, recounted the horror of having part of her hair and eyebrows singed by the intense fire that consumed her small, wood-frame home Monday afternoon. “This man stopped and helped me away from the fire and then he called 911 while I ran toward my neighbor’s house screaming.” Price’s neighbor, Jemma Lester, said, “All I heard was her screaming and I came outside and saw one of the bedrooms on fire, then another room and by the time we called 911, the whole house was on fire.”Price shares her home at 13208 East Oglethorpe Hwy. with friend Benjamin Anderson, 60, who was at work when the fire broke out.According to initial reports from Midway Police Chief Jerry Ramos, the call came in at 1:03 p.m.“We had two units from Midway and one from Riceboro, and EMS personnel from Eastern District and Engine 13 was here within 10 minutes of the call,” Ramos said.Smoke could be seen a mile away and one of the westbound lanes of Oglethorpe Highway was blocked to give fire and rescue vehicles a lane to connect their hoses and begin extinguishing the fire. It took the fire department about an hour to squelch the blaze that left nothing but the home’s foundation.Trees alongside the house were also scorched and the flames came within a few feet of overhead power lines and within 10 feet of a 400-pound propane tank. No one was seriously injured but the intense heat did affect one of the firefighters who was treated for a heat-related illness.Midway Fire Chief Terrell Chipp worked with Liberty County Fire Coordinator James Ashdown to determine the cause of the fire.“We definitely have a point of origin being the rear bedroom, but there is not enough structure or evidence left to determine the actual cause,” Ashdown said. “The age of the house and the timber played a role in how quick it went up. Even the sheetrock was reduced to ashes due to the intense heat and there is nothing left of this house.”Disaster relief workers for the Liberty Branch of the American Red Cross provided Price and Anderson with food and clothing.“We lost everything. We have nothing left. I was even burned right out of my shoes,” an emotional Price said.She was treated at the scene while waiting for her daughter to arrive.“I can’t believe it. There is nothing left,” Jennifer Golden, Price’s daughter said. “Lord what will I do now,” Price said.Anyone who would like to assist Price and Anderson with donations is asked to call Golden at 884-4459. 
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3rd ID, Army, allies mourn four soldiers lost in accident
Farewell ceremony set for Thursday morning in Lithuanian capital
four soldiers

The four U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania have been identified.  

The Army has confirmed the four soldiers who died when their vehicle sank into a bog as Staff Sgt. Edvin Franco, 25, Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez, 25, PFC Dante Taitano, 21, and Staff Sgt. Troy Knutson-Collins, 28.

"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own sailors, airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” 

The four soldiers, who were the crew of a M88A2 armored recovery vehicle, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25. Their vehicle eventually was found March 26 but it was beneath approximately 14 feet of water and sunk into more than six feet of mud.

Crews worked to drain the area around the vehicle to make it stable for heavy equipment needed to pull out the M88. U.S. Navy divers were flown in and attached cables to hoist points so the submerged vehicle could be lifted out of the bog.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ID commanding general. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” 

Knutson-Collins, Duenez Jr., and Franco were all posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.

Knutson-Collins was an artillery mechanic with over seven years in the Army. He arrived at Fort Stewart in February 2018 and was assigned to 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion.

Knutson-Collins graduated from the Army Basic Leader Course, the Advanced Leaders Course, the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations course, and the Combat Lifesaver course. He deployed to Korea in 2020.

His awards and decorations include 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.

“Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,” said Capt. Jackson Patillo, commander, Foxtrot Company, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion. “Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.”

“The pain we feel from this loss is insurmountable,” said Lt. Col. Erick Buckner, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion commander. “Staff Sgt. Knutson-Collins was well loved throughout our unit and a brother to all. He was an expert, an incredibly talented mechanic and a warrior. We will never forget his dedication to his unit, his family and his country.”

“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, who also grew up on Fort Stewart. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.” 

Throughout the seven-day recovery effort, the combined and joint team worked day and night to find the soldiers. 

“As the fourth and final soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps and former Fort Stewart and 3rd ID commanding general. “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.” 

All four soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to provide credible ground deterrence alongside Allies and partners, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart. 

“I'm immensely proud of our entire team. They have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” Gen. Donahue said. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted on X his sorrow at the loss of the four soldiers.

“I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen soldiers,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”

A farewell ceremony for the soldiers will be held Thursday morning in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

“Every soldier is also a Lithuanian soldier, and their families’ pain is our pain,” said a statement from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. 

"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Norrie. “Now, it’s time to bring them home.” 

 

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