January 28, 2003
Copyright © 2003 ASSOCIATED PRESS. All rights reserved.

SAN JUAN (AP) - The U.S. military held a 21-gun salute Monday for a soldier who died following a land mine explosion during training in Puerto Rico, officials said.

Capt. Adam Kocheran, 31, of Columbus, Ohio, died late Sunday after he was taken off life support. The Green Beret suffered a serious head wound in the blast on Thursday, which also injured two other soldiers.

About 350 troops gathered for the private memorial service at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, said Lt. Col. Nicolas Britto, an Army spokesman.

Kocheran's wife attended the ceremony, and military officers presented her with a folded U.S. flag and flowers, Britto said. The soldier's remains were to be cremated and returned to Ohio.

The other two soldiers injured in the accident - Sgt. 1st Class Amil Alvarez, 32, of Santurce, and Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Brautigam, 35, of Burlingame, California - were treated at hospitals for shrapnel wounds and released.

The three were involved in routine training when the Claymore mine exploded at Camp Santiago. An investigation is underway to determine the accident's cause, Britto said.

All three soldiers involved in the accident were with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command South, based at Roosevelt Roads.