Army Sgt. Juan M. Serrano

Died July 24, 2003 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

31, of Manati, Puerto Rico; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany; killed in Baghdad July 24 while changing a tire on an M998 vehicle. It fell on him, inflicting a fatal head injury.

Puerto Rican soldier dies in accident in Iraq

Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A Puerto Rican soldier died in an accident while changing a tire on a military truck in Iraq, officials said Friday.

Army Sgt. Juan Serrano was changing the tire Thursday when the truck fell, striking his head, according to Jose Pagan, a spokesman for Fort Buchanan in suburban San Juan. He died two hours later in a hospital.

Serrano, a San Juan native who had been posted in Germany, was an outstanding soldier in Iraq, Pagan said.

Serrano will be buried in Puerto Rico, but it was unknown when his remains would arrive.