Marine Lance Cpl. Jakub H. Kowalik

Lance Cpl. Kowalik

Jakub H. Kowalik came to the United States from Poland in 1992 when he was 10 years old and was a permanent U.S. resident, though not yet a citizen. He enlisted in the Marines during his senior year in high school, just a few months before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"After Sept. 11, he said, 'If my country needs me, I'll be there," said his mother, Danuta G. Kowalik of Schaumburg, Ill. "He told me, 'Mom, I'm not going to change my mind.' "

Kowalik, 21, based at Camp Pendleton, died May 12 when the ordnance he and another Marine were handling exploded.

The day before, on Mother's Day, he had called home and talked with his mother for a half-hour.

"His last words were, 'I'll see you,' " she said.

Kowalik played football in high school and loved to fish. He never complained about the hard life of the military, his mother said -- "He just enjoyed being a Marine."

"He's my hero, my best friend," said Paul Kowalik, Jakub's older brother.

Marine Lance Cpl. Cedric E. Bruns

Lance Cpl. Cedric E. Bruns with his grandmother Donna Brown in June 2002.

In his letters home, Cedric E. Bruns talked about going to college, buying a house and digging into the family history. His family said he grew up when his reserve unit was sent to Kuwait.

"He realized that what he had always taken for granted was going to be different when he got back here," said his mother, Debbie Bruns.

Bruns, 22, of Vancouver, Wash., died May 9 when the Humvee pickup truck he was driving collided with another vehicle in Kuwait.

"Some of his friends here remember him for the fun times and the parties," said his father, Peter Bruns. But once in Kuwait, "it hit him that things have to be done. He kicked into high gear and took on responsibility. He was made captain of the guard and volunteered to be a squad leader."

He last called home about two weeks ago.

"It was an early Mother's Day call because he didn't know if he would get another chance at a phone," his mother said. "We talked for 20 minutes. He knew what he was there for -- to fight for somebody else's freedom."

Air Force Staff Sgt. Patrick Lee Griffin Jr.

Staff Sgt. Griffin

Patrick Lee Griffin Jr. joined the Air Force five years ago for the education benefits, and was sent to Iraq as combat was winding down.

He was killed May 13 when his convoy was ambushed en route to Baghdad.

"He'd only been there three weeks," said his stepmother, Paula Griffin of Groton, N.Y. "We thought the war was over with ... it was a total shock."

Griffin, 31, originally from Elgin, S.C., was a data systems technician based at Eglin Air Force Base.

He held a strong bond with his father -- the two talked endlessly about NASCAR, Paula Griffin said. Griffin had known his wife, Michelle, since childhood and married her in 1997. They had two children, Mackensie, 2, and Cory, 4.

"He enjoyed his children tremendously," Paula Griffin said. "He just adored them. He adored his wife."

Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker

Just 19, Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker had wanted to join the military for years.

"He couldn't wait to serve his country," said friend Michael Dunbar. "All he ever wanted to do was join the service. Ever since he was 15 it's all he ever talked about."

High school classmate Josh Case went to boot camp with Kleiboeker in 2001.

"We talked about going into the Marines since the junior year of high school," Case said. "I went reserves and he wanted to go actives -- that's the kind of guy he was."

Kleiboeker, of Odin, Ill., and based at Camp Lejeune, died May 13 when the bunker he was working in caught fire and exploded.

"He would go out of his way for anybody. He's the type of guy that would give you the shirt right off his back," said classmate Billy Spitler.

"He never had anything bad to say about anyone. He was always asking people if there was anything he could do to help them," friend Brooks Simpson said.

Marine Pfc. Jose F. Gonzalez Rodriguez

Pfc. Rodriguez

Jose F. Gonzalez Rodriguez was the kind of student all his teachers liked to remember. A Mexican immigrant, Rodriguez was an honor student, an athlete and someone who seldom missed a high school event.

"He really enjoyed all of that," said Linda Granillo, the school principal. "We remember him dancing at all the school dances. He was very well-liked."

Rodriguez, 19, of Norwalk, Calif., died May 12 along with another Marine when ordnance they were handling exploded.

Rodriguez played third base on the baseball team and liked wearing his John Glenn Eagles baseball cap at school. He came from a large and very supportive family, Granillo said, and was recruited by the Marines just after high school.

"The military is a good opportunity," Granillo said. "But you hate to lose kids from your school this way."

Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Smith

David Smith with a photo of his son, Matthew.

Matthew R. Smith stood about 5 feet 8 inches and weighed 140 pounds, but friends and family said he never let his small stature keep him from big accomplishments.

He played one season of football in high school, served on the student council and worked at the school radio station. He attended Indiana University and joined the Marine Reserves as a radio operator, and was deployed to Kuwait in February.

Smith, 20, of Anderson, Ind., died May 10 in a vehicle accident in Kuwait. The day his son died, David Smith received the first letter from Matthew since his deployment. His son wrote how proud he was to be fighting for his country's freedom.

"How many people on this Earth die doing the job they know they were put here to do?" the father said.

High school teacher Tim Thomas recalled long conversations with Smith.

"We used to talk a lot about philosophy and religion, so many things like that," Thomas said. "He was very involved and genuine."

Army Spc. Roy Buckley

Spc. Buckley

In his last letter home, Roy Buckley wrote of the anguish he felt for the children of Iraq, and of his pride in being a soldier.

"The kids here are so sad. I give them as much food as possible. I gave my last $20 to a man who looked so bad," he wrote. "I couldn't care less; I can do without stuff."

Buckley, 24, of Hobart, Ind., died April 22 in a fall from a military truck while dispensing meals and water to Iraqis. He was an Army reservist.

His older brother, Charles Calvin, said Buckley was a patriot who felt "every note of the national anthem vibrate through his body while he was standing at rigid attention."

Buckley's mother, Janie Espinoza, last talked to her son on Easter. Buckley told her he hoped to be home by Mother's Day.

"He was the life of the family," Espinoza said.

Buckley also is survived by a 6-year-old daughter, who lives in Hobart with her mother.

Army Sgt. Richard P. Carl

Sgt. Carl

Audrey and Lynn Sherman, now in their 70s, remember Richard P. Carl as the good-hearted teenager across the street who was on hand when they needed help lifting objects or other work at their home in Glenns Ferry, Idaho.

"It just shows you what kind of boy he was," Audrey Sherman said. "He was always helping someone else."

Carl, 26, was one of three Fort Carson-based troops killed May 9 in a helicopter crash while trying to rescue a wounded child in Iraq. He was promoted posthumously from corporal to sergeant.

Carl is survived by his wife, Audrey, a 3-year-old daughter and an 18-month-old son.

"He was a real, real good boy," said Carl's aunt, Cherry Ash of Glenns Ferry. "He was really good to his mother. He trimmed all her trees. He was a good daddy. He was just an all-around good boy."

Army Pvt. Jason L. Deibler

Jason Deibler

Jason L. Deibler joined the Army in October, and those who knew him said it was a perfect fit.

"He was so proud to be in the Army," said his father, Kevin Deibler, who lives near Hampton, Va. "We heard from him when he was in Germany, and he was more happy than he'd ever been in his life."

Deibler, 20, of Coeburn, Va., died May 4 in a noncombat weapon discharge at Camp New Jersey in Kuwait.

Jason Pugh, 22, knew Deibler from the time the two spent at a vocational training center.

"He was always very enthusiastic about the military," Pugh said. "To him it just seemed like a big, exciting adventure. He was looking to be a part of the Army and he wanted to travel. He wanted that respect, to be a part of that Army machine."

He also cherished his family, and was engaged to be married to Nicole Reddington of Hampton.

"Jason was the most loving person you'd ever want to meet in your life," his father said.

Army 1st Sgt. Joe J. Garza

1st Sgt. Garza

Joe J. Garza joined the Army a few years after high school graduation, and served more than two decades. He figured he'd serve even longer.

"He told me he was going to stay in for as long as the Army would let him," said nephew Sev Lopez. "He loved what he did."

Garza, 43, of Columbus, Ga., and based at Fort Benning, died April 28 in a vehicle accident in Iraq.

Lopez said that after he joined the National Guard he met several people who had Garza as a drill instructor during basic training. They told Lopez his uncle had been tough but fair.

"But I just couldn't picture him that way . . . as a mean drill instructor in someone's face," Lopez said.

"Of all 10 of us he was the one who would try and make you laugh," said Garza's sister, Manuela Espinoza. "He was the clown of the family."

Garza is survived by his wife of 24 years, Mary, sons Joe Garza Jr. and John, and daughter Myra.

Army Pfc. Jesse Givens

Jesse Givens, originally from Springfield, Mo., and his stepson Dakota.

Jesse Givens' family received word of his death only an hour after President Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq.

"Of course we were still concerned, but we thought (the war) was over," said Givens' brother, Reg Givens, of Lamar, Mo. "We thought maybe in a short time, he'd be coming home."

Givens, 34, a native of Springfield, Mo., died after a riverbank gave way and the tank he was in plunged into the Euphrates River.

Givens was already in his 30s, a decade or more older than most other new enlistees, when he joined the Army after being laid off. Most of his buddies in boot camp good-naturedly called him "grandpa," or "pops," but the former high school wrestler and football player did well in basic training.

"He was a great man, kind of the hero type, always helping the underdog," Reg Givens said. "He didn't care for people picking on people. He had a good heart."

Givens married his longtime sweetheart, Melissa, after basic training and the two lived near Fort Carson. He had a 5-year-old stepson, Dakota, and his wife is due to give birth in June.