THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060423
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
A Navy SEAL from Virginia Beach was killed Monday when a hand grenade exploded near him during a training exercise at Camp Ripley, Minn.
Lt. Mark Wilson, 29, a member of SEAL Team 2, was working on a grenade range with other members of F and B platoons when the weapon exploded, shortly after 1 p.m.
Wilson was flown to a hospital in Brainerd, Minn., where he was pronounced dead on arrival, said a Navy spokesman.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Immediately after the explosion, the SEALs participating in the exercise conducted a training stand-down.
Wilson had been a SEAL - a sea, air, land commando - since March 1995, when he graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, in Coronado, Calif.
He reported to SEAL Team 2 at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, where he was assigned to the F platoon.
He had been participating in the land warfare training at Camp Ripley since Nov. 25.
Camp Ripley is a 53,000-acre training site in central Minnesota operated by the National Guard. by CNB