Army Cpl. William A. Long

William "Billy" Long was a perfectionist who kept his uniform flawless, ate pizza with a knife and fork and always arrived early.

"Bill just sort of commanded the room. He was always smiling, very charismatic," said his fiancee, Elizabeth Jackson.

Long, 26, of Lilburn, Ga., was killed June 17 in a grenade attack in Buhriz, Iraq. He was based at Fort Benning.

Long had a safe assignment in the Armed Forces Honor Guard in Washington, but he requested a transfer from his duties so he could deploy to Iraq.

"He was ready to go and felt that's what he needed to do," said his mother, Susan Cordner. "I didn't like it, but I supported him."

In Washington, he was a driver for Chaplain Maj. Douglas Charles Fenton and often spent weekends playing tennis with him and losing video games to Fenton's 10-year-old son.

Fenton was to officiate over Long's wedding. Instead, he said his eulogy.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Matt Lourey

As a child, Matt Lourey played with toy helicopters and dressed up as the Red Baron for Halloween. His dream of flying was so strong that he left the Marines when he didn't get to fly with them and trained as a private pilot.

"For Matt, it was all or nothing, whether running a marathon, learning to fly, collecting military artifacts or simply loving life," said Maj. Randy Wendt, a National Guard chaplain.

Lourey, 41, of Washington, D.C., died May 26 when his helicopter came under attack and crashed in Buhriz. He was based at Fort Bragg.

Lourey was the homecoming king of his 1982 high school class. He served with the Marines before going to Vermilion Community College, earning his pilot's license and joining the Army.

His mother, Minnesota state Sen. Becky Lourey, and other family members opposed the Iraq war, but Lourey volunteered for a second tour of duty.

Lourey's wife, Army Capt. Lisa Lourey, said her husband loved British military tradition and read Rudyard Kipling because of Kipling's respect for the predicament of the junior soldier.

"Matt was a cavalry man in the war as well as a loving husband," she said.

Army Sgt. Audrey Daron Lunsford

Audrey Daron Lunsford talked to his 8-month-old daughter on the phone from Iraq every day, sometimes twice a day. The last time, he heard her crying while he spoke to his wife, Vangi. She put the phone to their daughter's ear.

"He talked her to sleep," Vangi Lunsford said.

Daron Lunsford, 29, of Sardis, Miss., was killed May 23 when an explosive detonated in Haswa. The National Guardsman was based in Biloxi, Miss.

Lunsford met his wife when she was a dispatcher and he was a police officer. They had been married for nearly two years, and Lunsford loved to take his wife and daughter in his Jeep, pull the top down and ride in the country in the night air.

Lunsford had served in the Army four years before joining the National Guard in 2004. He recently left the police force to become a plumber.

Though she was years away from reading, Lunsford sent e-mails to his daughter, Paris-Audrey McKaLyne, telling her to be a good girl for mommy.

"I'm counting the days until I can be with mommy and you, but until then, keep mommy busy and stay that beautiful little angel that I love and cherish," he wrote.

Army Sgt. Mark A. Maida

In Iraq, Mark Maida kept a rosary, a baptismal ring, a pendant of heaven, a St. Christopher's medal -- more instruments of faith, a minister cracked, than Pope Benedict XVI.

But Maida was no saint, his brother said. He recalled a childhood treehouse where his brother stashed cigarettes. "Mark liked to celebrate life," Chris Maida said.

Mark Maida, 22, of Madison, Wis., was killed May 27 from injuries sustained in an explosion in Diyarah. He was based at Fort Irwin.

The 2001 high school graduate was partial to Lynyrd Skynyrd and loved the outdoors, including hunting, fishing and sky diving. He hoped to marry his girlfriend, Elizabeth "Betsy" Jacobs.

He had been scheduled for discharge last October and had registered for classes at Madison Area Technical College -- but the military extended his service under its stop-loss policy. He deployed to Iraq in January and adopted a puppy there named Maxine.

His brother, a former reservist, said he tried to talk his brother out of enlisting. "He just laughed. He loved life and he wasn't afraid of anything," Chris Maida said.

He is survived by his parents, Ray and Diane.

Marine Capt. John W. Maloney

Capt. Maloney

Lydia Maloney said she never had to ask her oldest son to help out. John W. Maloney naturally took to the role of father figure after her divorce, even if he was only 8 at the time.

"He was the voice of reason. If someone got excited, he would take out the mental tape measure and say 'Is it worth it?' He was just a dream," she said.

Maloney, 36, of Chicopee, Mass., died June 16 when a roadside bomb exploded near Ramadi. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

"Not many people are fortunate enough to have that type of life," said Maloney's youngest brother, Justin Clark. "He always did his best to help us out. At a drop of the hat, he would be there for us."

Maloney's passion for the Marines blossomed out of an interest in the Vietnam War he developed during high school, which he graduated in 1986. He fought during the first Gulf War and served in Somalia.

"It's chilling to know you have held this person who has touched so many people," his mother said. "He could walk into a room and create a presence."

He also is survived by his wife, Michelle; a son, 6, and a daughter, 2.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Keith R. Mariotti

CWO Mariotti

Keith Mariotti "ate, slept and breathed airplanes," said his mother, Nancy.

"Ever since he was old enough to play with a toy airplane, he always wanted to fly," she said.

Mariotti, 39, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was killed June 27 when his helicopter crashed near Taji. He was based at Fort Bragg.

He is survived by his wife, Denise Adomines.

Mariotti grew up in Maryland before graduating from high school in 1984. Before long, he joined the Delaware National Guard, where he became a crew chief and learned to fly helicopters.

His passion for flying led him to Arizona, where a National Guard unit sought experienced helicopter pilots and he landed a job that took him to Oregon and Texas, where he flew employees by helicopter to oil and gas rigs.

Mariotti deployed to Iraq in January 2004 as an instructor pilot, and family members said he didn't want media attention.

"Keith and Denise, his wife, were very private," said Sue Mariotti, who lives with Keith's father, the Rev. Dilio Mariotti. "He didn't want to act like a big 'Top Gun' type or anything."

Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Mattek Jr.

Cpl. Mattek

In a letter to his sister, Jill, John J. Mattek Jr. recalled going downhill skiing when he was 4 and discovering "the free spirited feeling."

"When I felt that feeling, it never left," he wrote. "And doing things such as this keeps me free and nothing stops me."

He left another letter for his family in case he died. It quoted William Wallace: "Every man dies, not every man really lives. I have lived."

Mattek died June 13 at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland from injuries suffered in a June 8 explosion in Iraq's Anbar province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Mattek, a farmer's son best known as "Johnny," played football and wrestled in high school, where coach Tom Weix called him "a go-getter, definitely a leader."

Mattek was his high school's senior class president and went on to play football at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He enlisted in the Marines in 2003.

In the letter to his sister, Mattek said, "We all see the same thing. We just look at it differently. Live hard, drive fast, take chances." He signed the letter, Johnny.

Marine Lance Cpl. Chad B. Maynard

Chad B. Maynard finished school early so he could go to boot camp his spring semester senior year. He even went to his graduation in 2004 in his Marine uniform.

"One of my friends said that God rested on the 7th day and on the 8th day made Maynard for the Marines," said friend Tom Sramek.

Maynard, 19, of Montrose, Colo., was killed June 15 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle near Ramadi. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Maynard is survived by his wife Becky, who was pregnant with their first child.

Maynard came from a military family and spent most of his high school years in the ROTC classroom, where he took younger cadets under his wing and was credited with giving the high school a competitive drill team.

He secretly contacted recruiters about his intentions to join when he was 16 and sneaked in Marine brochures into the house. Recruiters had to tell the teen to stop reaching them until he was of age, his father said.

"We thought he was the guy that nothing would happen to," Sramek said.

Maynard is survived by his parents, Gene and Cindy.

Army Master Sgt. Michael L. McNulty

Michael L. McNulty enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in 1986 and had earned at least 20 medals during his career, including three Bronze Stars.

"Mike was a career soldier, and he devoted himself to his family when he wasn't at work," said his brother, Sean.

McNulty, 36, of Knoxville, Tenn., was killed June 17 by small arms fire when his unit was attacked in Al Qaim. He was assigned to Special Operations Command headquarters at Fort Bragg.

McNulty is survived by his wife Paula and four children, Cyle, Eric, Katie and Rebecca.

Born in Gastonia, N.C., McNulty graduated from high school in Elgin, Ill. and enlisted the same year. After a brief separation of service he re-enlisted in 1994.

"For those of you who knew Michael, you know he was fully committed to both his family and his career: Michael was a loving husband, a dedicated and proud father of four, and a caring son," his family said in a statement. "He was also a soldier who unwaveringly placed our country before himself."

Marine Cpl. Antonio Mendoza

Antonio Mendoza was a joker who loved to go to parties. He told his girlfriend he taught Iraqis how to dance.

But he took his relationship with her seriously, bringing her flowers and teddy bears and window shopping for diamond rings with her.

"He used to tell my mom, 'I'm going to marry her,"' Brenda Luna said.

Mendoza, 21, of Santa Ana, Calif., died June 3 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio of injuries from a Feb. 22 explosion in Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Mendoza graduated from high school in 2002 and joined the Marines around the same time. He is survived by his mother and has family in Mexico.

Luna last spoke to Mendoza on Valentine's Day, about a week before he was injured.

"I told him that he needed to take care and that I love him," Luna said. "He told me not to worry."

Marine Lance Cpl. Robert T. Mininger

Cpl. Mininger

Robert T. Mininger dreamed of joining the CIA, FBI or Secret Service, and knew the Marines would open doors for him.

"Bob was never satisfied with the idea of going to school and going to work somewhere behind a desk," said his father, Tom. "He needed something in his life that demanded physical activity. That's why he loved the Marines."

Mininger, 21, of Sellersville, Pa., died June 6 from wounds received in an explosion Sunday in Fallujah, Iraq. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Mininger played football in high school. "He played defensive end and he was a monster," said his stepfather, Larry Zwillinger. "He played with such joy and passion."

He went on to Montgomery County Community College as a computer engineering major but soon switched to criminal justice. He talked to recruiters from different military branches before deciding on the Marines.

"Anything else would not be quite as hard as he wanted," his father said. "He wanted it to be the ultimate, and he felt the Marine Corps was the ultimate."

Mininger is also survived by his mother, Paula Zwillinger.

Army Sgt. David J. Murray

In high school, David Joseph Murray played football and ran cross country at the same time -- but that wasn't enough for him.

"He would often go home after practice and run two miles on his own to make sure he was conditioned," said his principal, Marvin Holland.

Murray, 23, of Clinton, La., was killed June 9 in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. The gaurdsman was based in New Roads, La.

Murray joined the National Guard before graduating from high school in 2001.

"He was the kind of kid every parent would love to have. He was funny, but he was also quiet. He was voted the class clown, but you would never know it by the way he was at home," said his mother, Joanne Spence.

He worked as a jailer after finishing his Army training, then got his state certification to become a patrol deputy. He worked part time as a sergeant for the Norwood Police Department.

"He had it," said Assistant Police Chief Ray Chamberlian. "He would have been a lieutenant when he came back."

In addition to his mother, Murray is survived by his father, Gary Murray Sr., and stepfather, John Parker.

Marine Lance Cpl. Veashna Muy

Veashna Muy was an avid fisherman.

"Pier or lake, anything that involved fishing he enjoyed," said his uncle, Thongin Muy.

Veashna Muy, 20, of Los Angeles was killed June 23 in a suicide-bomb attack on his convoy in Fallujah. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Muy graduated from high school and joined the Marines in 2004 after his enlistment with the Navy was delayed twice.

He signed up hoping to eventually obtain a college education. In Iraq, he played basketball on the base as much as he could.

"He was a very good kid," his uncle said.

Army Pfc. Louis E. Niedermeier

Louis Niedermeier couldn't wait to join the Army when he was in high school, but his enthusiasm waned after his first tour in Iraq.

"His friends died before his eyes," said Becky Raines, a family friend. "And now him."

Niedermeier, 20, of Largo, Fla., was killed June 1 by small arms fire in Ramadi. He was based at Fort Carson.

Born in New Brunswick, N.J., Niedermeier moved to Florida when he was 5. He was engaged to his high school sweetheart, Sarah Hatley, who is in the Navy.

Their teachers recalled the "cute couple" who used to study together in the library.

"He was just one of the good kids," said Ginger Brengle, a librarian. "You could tell he was raised well."

Niedermeier had a passion for his car, a blue Camaro for which he once took home a trophy at a car show, and his dream motorcycle, also blue. He bought another motorcycle on eBay while he was in Iraq, but never got to ride it.

Niedermeier told his father, Ed, he did not want to go back to Iraq, but he knew he had to. "He did it like a man and with full courage," his father said. "He didn't cry."

He is also survived by his mother, Denise Hoy.