Army Sgt. 1st Class Saburant Parker

During the week, Saburant "Sabe" Parker was a family man who worked at a lumber company. On the weekends, he transformed into "Sabot" -- a fearsome champion wrestler.

"My first match was with him. My hardest match was with him," said Stanley Brady, who also competed in Southern Championship Wrestling, where Parker was 2004 cruiser weight champion.

Parker, 43, of Foxworth, Miss., was killed May 23 when an explosive detonated in Haswa. The National Guardsman was based in Biloxi, Miss.

The 16-year veteran met his wife, Kitza, nearly 20 years ago after meeting in Columbia. "I sat in his lap and told him how cute he was and then forgot his name because you don't hear Saburant every day," Kitza Parker said.

He helped raise her son, 24-year-old Ramsey Cumpton, and the couple had two daughters, 16-year-old Merissa and Sheliah, 11. Parker loved fishing and the outdoors and watched the History Channel and war movies on television.

"He was into the 'Three Stooges,"' Kitza Parker said. "He loved bluegrass music and tortured me with it. We loved to go out and eat. He loved steaks."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher W. Phelps

Sgt. Phelps

Ted Boehm, principal at Christopher W. Phelps' high school, said his former student's quote in his senior yearbook proved tragically prophetic: "Do all you can while you can before it's too late."

"It fit right in with his life -- when you live your life for your country," Boehm said.

Phelps, 39, of Louisville, Ky., died June 23 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Carson.

Phelps had been in the Army for 19 years and had served in the first Gulf War as a tank driver. He had planned to retire from the military next March, and he and his family had just bought a house in Colorado.

He graduated from high school in 1984 and played football at Kentucky State University, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to the state playoffs. He eventually left school to join the Army.

He is survived by his wife, Bobbie, and three children and a stepchild, ages 9 to 23.

"The whole family looked up to him because he was such a kind, good, loving person," said Rena Duke, Chris's aunt.

Marine Cpl. Carlos Pineda

Carlos Pineda's 5-year-old sister keeps asking when he will come home. Although more than 100 people packed into his funeral, she insists the man in the wooden box was a doll, not her brother.

"What do I say to her?" asked Pineda's mother, Silvia Hernandez.

Pineda, 23, of Los Angeles, was killed June 24 by small arms fire during combat in Fallujah. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Pineda, a native of El Salvador, grew up fast in East Los Angeles. His father was murdered by local gang members when Pineda was 9, and he quickly became the man of the family, acting as an older brother to other kids in the neighborhood.

Pineda, known to his buddies as "Cheese," took an early interest in law enforcement. He joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Explorer Program in high school and became a mentor to at-risk teens.

He entered the Marine Corps after graduating from high school in 2001 and hoped to return to the Sheriff's Department and start a family with his wife, Ana.

Army Spc. Eric J. Poelman

Spc. Poelman

As a young boy, Eric Poelman used to play a game with his brothers where they tried to hit each other with apples. He excelled.

"He was a marksman when he was 11," said his brother, Greg.

Poelman, 21, of Racine, Wis., was killed June 5 when a bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Carson.

Poelman, who enjoyed football and paintball, smiled all the time, but his brother said the family never saw him happier than when he married Renate Klema.

"He was with his true love, his only love," Andy Poelman said.

Poelman was home schooled in high school and joined the Army to serve his country and get more experience operating big equipment like bulldozers and cranes. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq.

He always told his brothers to finish strong in sports and in life.

"Eric, I'm so proud of you because you finished strong," Andy Poelman said.

Marine Cpl. Chad W. Powell

Cpl. Powell

Chad W. Powell, his wife and 3-year-old son Elijah were planning to move back to northeast Louisiana in a matter of months, after Chad's enlistment was over.

"All I needed was three more months, three more months," said his father, Jerry Powell. "But he didn't make it."

Chad Powell, 22, West Monroe, La., died June 23 when a suicide car bomber slammed into his convoy in Fallujah. A 2001 high school graduate, he was based at Camp Lejeune.

Alison Hogan, 22, Chad's first cousin, remembers him as her playful partner in crime. "We'd get in all kinds of trouble together. I'd even make him play dolls with me."

Jerry Powell said his son always wanted to be a Marine. His father, grandfather and uncles were all Marines. Chad joined the Marines in November 2001 and served tours in Afghanistan, Haiti and Iraq.

Chad was called a "good ol' Southern boy" who loved to fish and hunt. He'd already taught Elijah to fish, Jerry Powell said.

In her last e-mail from Chad, Brenda Powell, his mother, said he spoke of coming home. And he thanked his parents for raising him "the right way. He was appreciative."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Neil A. Prince

Sgt. Prince

Born in Jamaica, Neil Armstrong Prince traveled across the country and to Korea and Germany during almost 16 years in the military.

"He loved being a soldier," said his wife, Suzette. "I tried to get him to leave, but he always said that's his job."

Prince, 35, of Baltimore, Md., died June 11 when a roadside bomb exploded south of Ramadi. He was based at Fort Carson.

He met his wife while she was working as an Army medic, and the couple had a 4-year-old son, Jordan. Prince loved three things above all else -- his son, his wife and sports.

"Oh, he enjoyed sports, I mean, thought, ate and slept everything that had to do with sports," his wife said. "And he always said he would give his son everything he wasn't able to get."

Prince graduated from Baltimore City College in 1989 and served in the first Gulf War. During a tour in Germany, he grew to like beer, and when he came home he would grab a Heineken and watch sports on television with his father.

Army Spc. Brian M. Romines

When he talked to his mom from Iraq, Brian Romines tried to hide his nervousness.

But on Mothers' Day, he conceded there was a lot of activity going on and that "he was kind of worried," Melinda Astin said.

Romines, 20, of Simpson, Ill., was killed June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. The National Guardmsan was based in Milan, Ill.

Romines, described as a likable, all-American kid, signed up for the National Guard after his 18th birthday and went to boot camp after his 2003 graduation from high school.

"You're proud of him on one hand, on the other hand, you're thinking, 'You're killing me, I can't take this,"' Astin said.

He had volunteered to be a gunner in Iraq. He kept in close contact with relatives through computer instant messaging and a camera that let them see each other.

"He said, 'Dad, if something happens over there it was just my time to go,"' Randy Romines said.

Army Spc. Phillip N. Sayles

The day he arrived at Fort Lewis, Donald Bergren got lost and went to the wrong building. But he met a new friend there -- Phillip Nick Sayles.

"Nick always had a smile for a friend," Bergren said. "It was hard to have a bad day with Nick working next to you."

Sayles, 26, of Jacksonville, Ark., was killed May 28 when an explosive detonated in Mosul.

Sayles was in the Junior ROTC in high school and graduated in 1997. He enlisted in 2002 and was known as "Iceman" to his fellow soldiers.

"He was a typical country boy, very loving person, liked to kid and tease," said Terry Fortner, Sayles' family minister.

Sayles operated computers for the battalion commander before pleading for a chance to get out with an infantry squad, said his former commander, Capt. Bryan Carroll.

"Not only was he extremely intelligent, he was a natural leader and a brave soldier," Carroll said. "He led from the front, taught, coached, mentored -- he looked out for everyone around him."

Sayles is survived by his parents. He spent many weekends and holidays with Bergren and his wife and children; Bergren said his friend hoped to have a family of his own some day.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Joshua Michael Scott

Sherri Scott knew a good man when she saw one.

"The night I met Josh I told my girlfriends, 'I'm going to marry that man,"' she said. "They all laughed. Three years later we were married."

Joshua Michael Scott, 28, of Sun Prairie, Wis., died May 26 when the helicopter he was flying came under attack and crashed in Buhriz. He was based at Fort Bragg.

Scott graduated from high school in 1995 and a few years later he took a troubled boy under his wing. Scott became the boy's legal guardian five years ago, and the child lives with Scott's wife and children.

"He had the ability to be tough as nails at work, and when he came home he was a marshmallow dad," said Chief Warrant Officer Mike Rutledge, who attended flight school with him. "He loved his family more than he loved his work."

First Sgt. Randall Pierce said Scott was "a leader's dream" who had a passion that inspired others to follow his example.

"People just gleaned confidence from him," Pierce said. "He was a rare breed. A very rare breed."

Marine Lance Cpl. Devon P. Seymour

Cpl. Seymour

Devon Seymour was responsible and determined, even when he was a child.

"He wanted a dog, so what he did was, he cut pictures out of magazines," said his father, James. "Every time you opened a door, there would be a dog."

The family adopted a poodle-terrier mix, and later a German shepherd.

Seymour, 21, of St. Louisville, Ohio, was killed June 9 in an explosion in Haqlaniyah. The reservist was based in Akron, Ohio.

As a boy, Seymour liked to wear khaki and camouflage and had an avid interest in airplanes.

He decided to join the Marine Reserves during his senior year of high school, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "He took his birth certificate in and he was too young," James Seymour said.

He enlisted after he turned 18 and briefly attended Ohio State University and worked as a truck driver. He died a year after his father, an Ohio National Guardsman, returned from duty in Afghanistan.

Devon's mother, Janet Seymour, said her son "was one of the good and decent people willing to help somebody. He was worth knowing."

Army Chief Warrant Officer Steven E. Shephard

Ever since he was a little kid, Steven Shephard dreamed of flying. He earned a pilot's license before he even graduated from high school.

"As very few people do, he got to live his dream," said Jeff Pierce, the best man at Sephard's wedding. "He died doing what he enjoyed. I'm sure that Steve loved every minute of it."

Shephard, 30, of Purcell, Okla., was killed June 27 when his helicopter crashed 20 miles north of Baghdad. He was based at Fort Bragg.

His wife, Meleah, is expecting the couple's first child in September.

The former Boy Scout played baseball and saxophone in high school and went on to earn a degree in aviation from Oklahoma State University in 1998.

He taught aviation at the Air Force Academy and Kansas State University before joining the Army after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Pierce said Shephard also had a great sense of humor and was voted "most witty" during his senior year of high school.

"Steve was a card," Pierce said. "It was like being around Jim Carrey when you were around him."

Army Staff Sgt. Alfred Barton Siler

Alfred "Bart" Siler had already bought tickets to take his 3-year-old daughter, Mikkah, to Disney World over the summer.

"He couldn't wait to get home and hold his little girl. He was going to take her to the beach, and they were going to go fishing and just hang out," said his brother, Jason. "He couldn't wait to have some biscuits and gravy and have him a cold beer."

Siler, 33, of Duff, Ky., died May 25 in a vehicle accident in Tuz. The National Guardsman was based in Knoxville, Ky.

Siler joined the military a few years after graduating from high school in 1989 and was a welder in civilian life. He enjoyed four wheeling and outdoor activities.

Most pictures of Siler in Iraq show him surrounded by children and holding stuffed animals for them. The conditions children lived in there sometimes brought him to tears, said Capt. Rhonda Jones.

"He was a man of little words but probably had the biggest heart on anybody I've ever met," Jones said.

Command Sgt. Maj. Prather said Siler always talked about his daughter. "She was the joy in his life," he said.

Marine Cpl. Brad D. Squires

Brad Squires had started racing cars and talked about becoming a firefighter someday. But on the day he died, he told his wife he had decided to re-enlist in the Marines when his tour ended in November.

"Brad loved his Marine Corps and would jump at the chance to tell everyone about it," said his wife, Julie.

Squires, 26, of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, was killed June 9 in an explosion in Haqlaniyah. The reservist was based in Akron, Ohio.

Squires graduated from high school in 1997 and married his wife in December, shortly before he shipped out.

His aunt, Donna Dirk, described him as "fun-loving, very family oriented, really a nice kid."

The Midwest Supermodified Association said Squires entered his first supermodified car race in 2004 and intended to continue his racing career.

Marine Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr

The last time Jeffrey B. Starr talked to his friend Adam Nourigat, he was asking for a secret ride from the airport so he could surprise his girlfriend.

"He was always such a good friend to everybody," Nourigat said. "He just always wanted to get back home to his friends."

Starr, 22, of Snohomish, Wash., was killed May 30 by small arms fire during combat operations near Ramadi. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Starr played soccer and went to church youth group meetings in high school and joined the military in March 2001. He had several close calls in his three tours in Iraq, including when he got caught behind enemy lines and had his armored vehicle hit by rocket-propelled grenades.

"He said there was so many close calls when he was in Fallujah ... that they just stopped counting," said his father, Brian.

Starr was due home in June and had enrolled at Everett Community College, where he wanted to study psychology to prepare for a career in law enforcement. His mother Shellie was getting ready for him to move into the basement apartment of the family's home.

"I was measuring where I was going to put things," she said.