A 19-year-old Kihei, Maui, man serving with the Army in Balad, Iraq, died of injuries suffered in a noncombat-related incident on June 11, the Department of Defense reported yesterday.

Pvt. Eugene D.M. Kanakaole, a graduate of Maui High School, was assigned to the 87th Engineer Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

The incident is under investigation, the military said. Balad is about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

Geraldine Serrao, his paternal grandmother, described Kanakaole as "a real cool guy" who "never got into trouble."

On his own MySpace page, Kanakaole gave himself the moniker "hawaiiansoljah" and inserted as his quote, "id rather die on my feet then live life on my knees."

Kanakaole last signed on to his MySpace page on May 31. He last listed his mood as "mischievous."

A group of 104 soldiers from the 87th Engineer Company was sent to Iraq in early May on a 15-month deployment. Their job is primarily to detect and clear roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices, 1st Lt. Benjamin Washkowiak, the company's executive officer, told the Killeen (Texas) Daily Herald last month.

The 87th's engineers trained for this mission at Fort Hood and at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., the newspaper reported. In Iraq, the 87th is working in tandem with the 5th Engineer Battalion out of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Kanakaole is the first service member whose hometown is in Hawai'i to die in Iraq since Dec. 31, when Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu died of a noncombat-related illness in Al Qayyarah, Iraq.

Lacerna was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga.