ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Army on Thursday identified the soldier who died this week of injuries sustained during a bear attack in a military training area in Alaska.
The Army in a statement said Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, was pronounced dead at a hospital on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage following the mauling Tuesday. Another soldier received minor injuries in the attack in a training area west of the Anchorage landfill, according to the Army.
Plant was from Saint Augustine, Florida, and had been at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson since July 2021, the Army said in a statement. He was an infantryman from the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Lt. Col. David J. Nelson, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment commander, said Plant “always had a smile on his face, he always went above and beyond what was asked of him, and he served as an inspiration to all who had the privilege to know him.”
The Army says the mauling is being investigated and that more information will be announced as it becomes available.
