Army Spc. Nicholas R. Idalski

Nicholas R. Idalski wasn't able to call home much, but when he did, he called everyone. His older brother, Steve, got several 4 a.m. wake-up calls from Nick.

"He'd say, 'I thought you might be getting ready for work right now,"' Steve said with a laugh.

Nicholas Idalski, 23, of Crown Point, Ind., died June 21 in Ramadi when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire. He was stationed at Fort Carson.

"This was the one job we knew he loved the most," said his brother, Nathan. "Even when he was doing the most mundane thing, you couldn't get him to say anything horrible about it."

One photo the family cherishes shows Nick with his brothers, who all shared a loved for the Cubs, at Wrigley Field when Nick was home last year.

The brothers had dragged Nick out of bed that morning after a late night out and surprised him with tickets to the game. Nick returned the favor by buying Steve an Ernie Banks jersey, and Nathan a Kerry Wood jersey.

"He was always doing things for other people," Steve Idalski said.

He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Kim and Rick Greenberg; and father, Tony Idalski.

Marine Cpl. Jesse Jaime

Jesse Jaime and his twin brother Joel were inseparable, and in February they left with the same Marine company to fight in Iraq.

"He was a loving guy, always happy. He always made people laugh," Joel Jaime said. "He was the nicer one."

Jesse Jaime, 22, of Henderson, Nev., was killed June 15 when a homemade bomb blew up a Humvee near Ramadi. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

The sons of Cuban immigrants, Jesse and Joel had the same childhood friends and often played football and street hockey -- Jesse was especially fond of hockey, and loved Wayne Gretzky.

Both participated in the Navy Junior ROTC program in high school.

For a short while after graduating in 2001, they went separate ways, with Joel joining the Marines and Jesse attending a technical school in Phoenix. But Jesse soon dropped out of college to join his brother.

"He joined the Marines for me," Joel said.

Both brothers had planned to leave the Marines and become Las Vegas police officers. Joel Jaime said he is nearing the end of his tour and soon will be discharged.

Jesse Jaime is also survived by his parents, Ricardo and Iliana.

Army Sgt. Anthony G. Jones

Sgt. Jones

Anthony G. Jones came home in May for the birth of his second son, arriving just a few hours after Aaron was born.

"He made it home," said his wife, Kelly. "He was able to see his children, and see his wife before it all happened. He got to hold him and tell him how much he loved him."

Jones, 25, of Greenville, S.C., was killed June 14 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Benning.

Jones joined the Army after high school and wanted to re-enlist for a second hitch and hoped to become an Army Ranger. He sometimes had to be told to take a break. And while some soldiers would come back from outings with counterfeit compact discs or DVDs, Jones would return with knives and extra ammunition.

"He was a great soldier," Lt. Dennis Graves said. "I'm not an emotional guy -- I don't cry. But on June 14, I cried. And I've cried every day since it happened."

He is survived by his wife and two sons, 2-year-old Blair, and 1-month-old Aaron.

Before Jones left for Iraq the first time, he wrote a letter to a then-unborn Blair.

"If your daddy doesn't come home, I'll always be in your life," the letter read.

Army Pfc. Douglas E. Kashmer

Before he left for Iraq, Douglas Kashmer got a tattoo of his daughter's face on his calf.

"That was the only way he could think of to take her with him," said his mother, Carol.

Kashmer, 27, of Sharon, Pa., was killed June 8 when a vehicle rolled over in Nippur, Iraq.

He was based in Mannheim, Germany, where he lived with his wife, Toni, and their daughter, Kashmaria, 3.

Carol Kashmer said her son, who worked as a diesel mechanic, had wanted to be in the Army since he was a child. Born in South Carolina, he played football in high school and graduated in 1996. He joined the Army the next year.

"He's going to be deeply missed by everyone, and I'm the proudest mother you'd ever meet," his mother said.

Army Spc. Charles A. Kaufman

Spc. Kaufman

Charles A. Kaufman was born two weeks apart from his cousin, Kelly, and the two were like brothers. They were determined to go to Iraq together.

Before they were deployed, Charles Kaufman fell 15 feet from a tree while hunting. He broke a few ribs, punctured a lung and lost his spleen. But after a month, he joined his unit in Iraq.

"His injuries could have kept him safe at home, but Charles insisted on going with his cousin," his parents and sister said in a statement.

Kaufman, 20, of Fairchild, Wis., was killed June 26 in Baghdad, Iraq, where an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was stationed in Arcadia, Wis.

The 2003 high school graduate loved anything he could drive: he didn't need training wheels on his first bike and rode the riding mower at age seven. He also loved driving trucks, tractors, boats, ATVs, motorcycles and was driving the Humvee when he died.

He also enjoyed playing pool, fishing and hunting. He even quit a job once to hunt on opening day.

Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas O. Keeling

Cpl. Keeling

At Kent State University, Thomas O. Keeling worked in housekeeping while studying for a criminal justice degree.

"He was one of the nicest young gentlemen I have ever met," custodial worker Paula Hill said. "I called him my number three son because he was as close to me as my own children."

Keeling, 23, of Strongsville, Ohio, was killed June 9 in an explosion in Haqlaniyah. The reservist was based in Akron, Ohio.

Keeling graduated from college in 2004 and was considering a career in the FBI. He had been a reservist for four years, and his stepfather and grandfather were both Marines.

Keeling told his stepfather, Robert Berry, that he was proud of the job U.S. troops were doing in Iraq. "He said he could see things improving, he could see the changes," Berry said.

"He wasn't glad to be there, but he was going to do his job while he was over there," he added. "He was just a great kid."

Keeling is also survived by his mother, Sharon Berry, and father, Tom Keeling.

Army Pfc. Christopher R. Kilpatrick

Pfc. Kilpatrick

The Rev. Sammy Carr, pastor of First Baptist Church, met Christopher R. Kilpatrick about 12 years ago. It was a Wednesday evening, and he was in the church while several youngsters were on the playground.

"Some people came and got me and said somebody had hit my son," Carr recalled. He said he headed out to check on his son, Luke, who is mentally retarded.

"But by the time I got there, the kids told me, 'Christopher has already taken care of it,"' he said. "Christopher had already got the guy who hit Luke. Christopher had already taken care of business."

Kilpatrick, 18, of Columbus, Texas, died June 20 when his vehicle was attacked in Tal Afar. He was based at Fort Polk.

Kilpatrick's fellow seniors in the class of 2004 voted him "most outspoken." He played basketball and was known for making long three-point shots. He was also an Eagle Scout.

Survivors include Kilpatrick's father, Scott, and stepmother Melissa; his mother, Tracy Hanak, and her husband Zachary.

After Kilpatrick's body was brought to the church for visitation, Luke Carr looked into the casket and said, "Dad, that's Christopher, my best friend."

Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Kilpela

Cpl. Kilpela

As a mischievous toddler caught in the act, Andrew Kilpela had an explanation: "Mom, men's to do what men's to do" -- his interpretation of the saying "A man's got to do what a man's got to do."

"We still say that when something difficult comes up," said his mother, Cheryl. "Now I can treasure these gray hairs because he gave most of them to me. He was not a boring child."

Kilpela, 22, of Fowerville, Mich., died June 10 in an explosion in Saqlawiyah, Iraq. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

The fifth of seven children, Kilpela was the family jokester and entertainer. He graduated from high school in 2001 and joined the Marines two years later "to prove it to himself and to those who kept telling him that he couldn't do anything," said his father, Michael.

Michael Kilpela said he used to get frustrated because he thought his son didn't plan for the future, but his perspective changed.

"I've come to the conclusion that he was a person who did not worry about tomorrow," he said. "He did not regret yesterday, and he filled every moment of today with love and with joy and with passion for life."

Army Spc. Anthony D. Kinslow

Spc. Kinslow

With his family, Anthony D. Kinslow was gentle, bookish and gentlemanly. He regularly sent flowers to his girlfriend and cradled and played with his nieces and nephews.

"We all thought, when he passed away, how sad it was that he wouldn't have children," said his mother, Kathleen.

Kinslow, 21, of Westerville, Ohio, died June 13 when their Humvee came under attack in Ramadi. He was based at Fort Carson.

An Army commander told Kinslow's family that he was "a very aggressive, intense soldier," his mother said. "I said the only time I saw him intense was when he was writing."

The 2002 high school graduate was not happy in Iraq.

"From the time he went over, he was always anxious to come home," said his father, A. Scott Kinslow. "It wasn't going to be a career for him."

Kinslow met his girlfriend, Nichole Maekawa, at the Waffle House where he worked. They planned to marry but had not set a date.

He sent flowers "sometimes four times a week," said their roommate, Heather Potts. "Our living room and dining room and kitchen were always filled with flowers."

Marine Pfc. Joshua P. Klinger

Joshua P. Klinger expressed himself through music. He spent hours composing songs at a computer in the family room. He also played guitar and piano and could pick up any song by ear.

"He could bare his soul to the keys, and nobody would talk back," said his mother, Sharon. "It was a wonderful outlet for him."

Klinger, 21, of Easton, Pa., was killed June 14 in Anbar province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Although quiet, Klinger had a keen sense of humor and was known as a goofball at home. After graduating from high school in 2002, he took computer classes and held a few odd jobs before enlisting at age 20.

"He wanted to see the world," Sharon Klinger said. "He wanted to make something of his life."

In conversations with his family he described the conditions in Iraq as "terrible," with buzzing flies and garbage rotting in the streets.

"He said he hated it, couldn't wait to get home. But then he'd say it wasn't that bad," his mother said.

He is also survived by his father, Philip.

Army Sgt. Larry R. Kuhns Jr.

Sgt. Kuhns

After graduating from high school, Larry R. Kuhns Jr. drove a tractor-trailer for a while before joining the Army Reserve and becoming a heavy equipment operator.

"He liked it so much, he signed on full time. He was patriotic and adventurous," said his father, Larry Sr.

Kuhns, 24, of Austintown, Ohio, was killed June 13 in a grenade attack in Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Fort Carson.

He is survived by his wife, Courtney, and his 1-year-old daughter, McKenzie.

"That little girl was his pride and joy," his father said.

A sports lover and outdoorsman, Kuhns had worked at an Army recruiting office. He wanted to make the Army his career.

"I last talked to him around Christmas, when he had shrapnel in a shoulder, but he was still for the war," his father said.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Steven M. Langmack

Sgt. Langmack

Growing up, Steven Langmack used to act like a tough guy. Then he became an Army Ranger and Green Beret -- and he didn't need to act tough anymore.

"When he went in, he decided he was going to be a Ranger," his brother David said. "If he was going to do it, he was going to do it the best he could."

Langmack, 33, of Seattle, was killed May 31 by small arms fire in Qaim, Iraq.

Gregarious and outgoing, Langmack and his wife, Rachaelle, lived on a farm in Raeford, N.C., near Fort Bragg with their sons, Sam, 16, and Carson, 7.

He played baseball in high school and enlisted after graduating in 1990. He had been in the Army for 15 years, serving in the first Gulf War and in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He was an expert paratrooper and once belonged to a precision skydiving team.

In e-mails to his family, he didn't talk much about the war. He focused on his wife and children and the home renovations he planned when he got back.

"He was always upbeat. He felt very committed to what he was doing, but he wouldn't talk about it," said his mother, Louise Langmack. "He felt it was an important job."

Army Cpl. Stanley J. Lapinski

Stanley J. Lapinski gave up a job at an electronics store to join the Army after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"Of course, as a mother, I tried to argue with him," said his mother, Gaye. "That didn't change anything. He said, 'Mom, we can't allow someone to come into our country and do this to our people."'

Lapinski, 35, of Las Vegas, was killed June 11 when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Stewart.

A college graduate with a degree in psychology, Lapinski turned down Army offers to attend officer school; he wanted to serve as a foot soldier, not behind a desk.

Born in Pittsburgh and known as "Stash" to his family (Stanley in Polish), Lapinski got a football scholarship to Merrimack College in Massachusetts, but the football program was later eliminated. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 1992 and worked for Circuit City in Las Vegas before enlisting in the Army.

He loved the blues and played the guitar.

"Stan loved music. It was the rhythm of his soul," said friend Jeffrey Cowan.

Army Sgt. Terrance D. Lee Sr.

After Stephanie Lee started working as a pipefitter at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, she noticed a guy hanging around her department a lot -- even though he was a welder.

"I ignored him. Later I was assigned to a different unit and he started showing up there. It took about two weeks before he got the nerve to talk to me," she said.

The following year she married Terrance D. Lee Sr. They had two children, with a third on the way.

Lee, 25, of Moss Point, Miss., was killed June 11 when his vehicle was hit by an explosive in Iraq. He was based in Lucedale, Miss.

Lee, known as "T-Lee," was a welder who had talked about making the Army a career. He loved watching boxing and football, shopping and going to movies and Ruby Tuesday's with his wife.

"He loved to talk. He loved to laugh. He didn't meet any strangers," Stephanie Lee said. "He lived to the fullest. He didn't let anything bother him."

A Father's Day card that Terrance Jr., 5, and Ramone, 3, mailed to Lee was returned from Iraq after his death. The children took turns holding it until they went to bed.