Nearly 600 U.S. service members from all over Kuwait filled the small Camp Virginia chapel today to pay their last respects to Spc. Cwislyn K. Walter, 19, a Hawaii National Guard soldier who was killed on Thursday in a vehicle accident in Kuwait.

An upturned rifle topped by a helmet with Walter's combat boots and a photo were arrayed in the chapel for the traditional combat memorial for the 2007 Farrington graduate.

"In my 26 years of service, Spc. Walter ranks among the best that I have had the honor to have known and worked with," said Lt. Col. Moses Kaoiwi, commander of the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Walter's unit. "She was young and motivated. She had initiative and produced quality work. She really had a positive impact on everyone in the battalion and brought the best out of everyone."

Spc. Lindsey Lafitaga, a close friend, said, "We had this look we'd give to each other, a wink of an eye, then bam! We'd start dancing and going crazy. We began as just friends, and became more than sisters. This road we started together, it will last forever and ever."

Three other Hawaii guardsmen were seriously injured in the single-vehicle accident on Seventh Ring Road outside Kuwait City, officials said.

The National Guard said one is in stable condition in a Kuwaiti hospital, one is in stable condition at the Camp Arifjan Medical Facility, and one is pending a return to duty.

Walter was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle on a trip from Camp Virginia to Camp Arifjan, according to officials. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Kuwait's roads are notoriously dangerous because of reckless behavior by civilian vehicles and accidents occur frequently.

Walter's family previously said they had no comment on the accident and asked for privacy. They said they were proud of their daughter's service to her country.

Lt. Col. Chuck Anthony, public affairs officer for the Hawaii National Guard, said it was the unit's first fatality since deploying to the Middle East.

More than 1,700 Hawaii National Guard and reserve soldiers have been in Kuwait since October and November. The troops are expected back home in July.

Walter joined the Hawaii National Guard in April 2007 and completed her basic and advanced individual training in Fort Gordon, Ga., where she was trained as a signal support systems specialist, officials said.

She obtained follow on training at Fort Jackson, S.C., as a human resources specialist.

Walter's awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" Device, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.