MILO (AP) – A Maine soldier killed when the truck he was riding in overturned in a training exercise has been laid to rest with full military honors.

Army Spc. William Charles Koelsch III was remembered in Milo for his sense of humor that kept soldiers laughing at Fort Polk, La. He part of the Headquarters Company of the 1st Airborne Battalion, 509th Infantry, a unit that’s the “opposing force” used in training for units going to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Despite his humor, he was serious about being a soldier.

Lt. Joseph Hardigree recalled Thursday a 12-mile forced march in which Koelsch’s feet were blistered and bloodied. Hardigree says Koelsch’s commanding officer wanted him to stop, but Koelsch said he wouldn’t quit.


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