Army Staff Sgt. Brian L. Morris

Sgt. Morris

Brian L. Morris got a lot more than poultry when he took a job at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. It was there that he met his wife.

"He got a job there and I got a job there and the rest is history," Lori Morris said with a chuckle. "It's not one of those romantic places, but we've got our KFC story."

Morris, 38, of Centreville, Mich., died Aug. 22 when his vehicle rolled over in Mosul.

Morris joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1985, where he was a star cross-country runner. When he returned years later to speak to students, he had transformed from athlete to military man, said Coral Fry, Morris' former English teacher.

Fry remembered Morris as "one of the nicest, most gentlemanly students" she ever had.

A bout with testicular cancer forced Morris into temporary retirement from the Army in 1989. Her re-enlisted and served in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea.

He also is survived by a 5-year-old daughter, Emilee.

"She was daddy's girl," Lori Morris said. "She is daddy's girl. We're so proud of him. He worked so hard."

Army Spc. Joseph C. Nurre

Joseph C. Nurre was once eating lunch with the other first-string football stars when he saw a freshman sitting alone at another cafeteria table, terrified at his first day of school.

Nurre brought the kid over to join him and the team.

"He was just an awesome kid," said Mike Clemons, his football coach. "He was a soldier. A soldier on the football field. A soldier in the war. He's my hero now."

Nurre, 22, of Wilton, Calif., was killed Aug. 21 near Samarra by a roadside bomb. He graduated high school in 2001 and was based at Weirton.

Despite his 5-foot-9-inch frame and 170 pounds, he became a defensive lineman on the football team. He was so well liked he became team captain. "If you told him to be in the weight room at 6, he would be there at 5," Clemons said. "He took definite aim on what he was going to do."

After high school, Nurre attended Cal State Sacramento for two years, majoring in construction management. Then, changing plans, he joined the Army Reserve. While awaiting assignment, he attended American River Junior College.

He is survived by his parents, Charlie and Leigh.

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan S. Ostrom

When Broc Repard was playing junior high basketball, Ryan S. Ostrom was his coach. But he was so much more.

"He taught people skills as much as he taught basketball," said Repard. "He was a good leader and a good person to look up to. And he had that special smile we used to see in the locker room."

Ostrom, 25, of Liberty, Pa., died Aug. 9 from small-arms fire in Habbaniya. He was assigned to Williamsport.

"He was a soldier you could give a task to and know it would get done. You could just look at him and know he was a leader," said Staff Sgt. Craig Stevens.

Ostrom captained his high school's soccer and basketball teams and won a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association sportsmanship award. He was a Youth Leader of Tomorrow candidate.

A 1999 high school graduate, Ostrom would have started his senior year at Mansfield University this fall, studying chemistry. Professor Scott Davis said Ostrom was one of the few science students who aspired to be a teacher.

"He would have been a good one," Davis said.

He is survived by his father, Scott Ostrom; mother, Donna Ostrom; and stepmother, Anice Ostrom.

Army Sgt. Willard T. Partridge

Despite their six-year age difference, Willard T. Partridge and his sister remained close.

"A lot of times growing up, it kind of felt like he was my son," she said Darlene Moon, 41. Moon said she and her brother enjoyed hunting and fishing together.

Partridge, 35, of Ferriday, La., was killed Aug. 20 in Baghdad by a roadside bomb. He was based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Partridge was a 1988 high school graduate who advanced to regional and state championships in baseball, showing talent as a pitcher.

He trained in refrigeration and welding at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. When the rubber company he worked for closed in September 2002, he joined the Army.

Partridge's cousin, Shelley Poole said she'll especially miss the big hugs he gave her every time they met. "He always has a smile on his face," she said. "The emotions run real high and then drop real low reminiscing about him."

He is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and two daughters: Kelsee, 11, and Kymberlee, 9.

"We can always remember the good things," said friend Michael Williams. "I can't remember a bad one."

Army Spc. Gennaro Pellegrini Jr.

Spc. Pellegrini

"One Punch Gerry" was the nickname fellow Philadelphia police officers gave Gennaro Pellegrini Jr. after he famously knocked out a violent suspect with just one blow.

"There's a kid that never gave up," said Frank Talent, of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, who watched Pellegrini, an amateur welterweight, win his first professional fight last year. "He had heart to the end."

Pellegrini, 31, of Philadelphia, died Aug. 9 in Bayji from a mine explosion and small-arms fire. He was the first Philadelphia police officer killed in the Iraq war.

The son of a cop, Pellegrini joined the department in 2001 and inherited his father's badge number, 3722. While in Iraq, he convinced schoolchildren to collect 350 pairs of flip-flops for Iraqi children.

He is survived by his parents, Edith and Gennaro Pellegrini Sr.

If only Pellegrini had been allowed to fight his enemies where he preferred to -- in the ring, said cousin Jerry Wahl.

"My uncle said, 'It's a shame he couldn't have gone over there and fought one on one, hand-to-hand combat," said Wahl. "Then he would have taken care of business, and we wouldn't be here right now."

Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron H. Reed

Lance Cpl. Reed

Aaron H. Reed was many things to many people. He was the boy who never gave up on the track team. The one who taught his friend how to drive a standard truck. A man that friends said would make a great father someday.

All who knew him recalled his smile and his laugh. They remembered when he laughed, he would push his glasses up. Nearly every photo of Reed, with the exception of his military picture, shows his trademark grin.

"He was always somebody who could make you smile," said Billie Baxter, a friend. "And he was always really talkative."

Reed, 21, of Chillicothe, Ohio, died Aug. 3 when his vehicle was hit by an explosive south of Haditha. He was stationed at Columbus.

Reed, a 2001 high school graduate, was a popular student who ran on the track and cross country teams and was senior class president.

"He was a great cook," recalled friend Abbey Coates. "Especially breakfast -- eggs, bacon, sausage and gravy, biscuits, and he used garlic in everything. Then he left his mess for us to clean up," she said with a laugh.

He is survived by his father, Stephen, and mother, Sara Duvall.

Army Sgt. Gary L. Reese Jr.

Sgt. Reese

Gary L. Reese always found ways to have fun, even while bagging groceries.

"There were certain customers who would come every week. He'd mess with them and hide their carts, as a joke," said Sam Waldron, who worked with him in high school. "He was kind of a prankster, but always in a good way. He could make a bad situation better."

Reese, 22, of Ashland City, Tenn., was killed Aug. 14 of wounds received the previous day in Tuz. He was based in McMinnville, Tenn.

Reese was an only child who joined the National Guard about a month after graduating high school in 2001.

"He came out of nowhere with it and wanted to join. I think it was a good thing for him. I think it helped him to grow and blossom into a fine young man," said his father, Gary.

Retired 1st Sgt. Charles Douglas said Reese turned out to be one of the best recruits, "young and full of vinegar." He is also survived by his mother, Cathy.

"He lived life to the fullest while he was here," said his Spanish teacher, Jean Hill. "I just think he had an unlimited future, and it saddens me that it was cut short."

Army Pfc. Seferino J. Reyna

Pfc. Reyna

Seferino J. Reyna was remembered as a quiet, hardworking family man who loved his kids and always tried to lift up his fellow soldiers.

"He would do anything for anybody," said Jennifer Reyna, his wife.

Reyna, 20, of Phoenix, died Aug. 7 in Taji when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Riley.

Reyna enlisted in the Army in August 2002. That fall, he and his wife enrolled in Pass Alternative High School in Kingman.

"They both worked very hard," said school director Sandy McCoy. Both were top students, she said. "They were motivated to be together and make a good life for themselves."

Reyna graduated within a couple of months and cared for their daughter, 4-year-old Savannah, while his wife earned her diploma.

"He was a very kind and loving person," McCoy said.

Reyna was a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation, which occupies 2.8 million acres south and west of Tucson with an enrollment of nearly 26,000 members.

"He really liked the military and was thinking about a career in drug enforcement," said his father-in-law, Randy Fort.

He also is survived by his 1-year-old son Aquilino.

Army Pfc. Hernando Rios

Hernando Rios had the sort of kindness that moved him to buy an extra McDonald's meal and give it to a homeless person. If you needed help, Rios was your man.

"He was very well known in the neighborhood. If he saw someone getting picked on, he would stand up for him," said Jeffrey Santiago, a longtime friend.

Rios, 29, of New York City, died Aug. 8 in Baghdad from injuries he sustained the day before when his vehicle came under attack. He was based in New York.

"He was always looking out for people, always trying to defend the people that can't defend themselves," said Rios' half brother Pfc. Ramon Germosen.

From Iraq, he sent home photographs of Baghdad cityscapes and of his comrades at arms swimming at the pool, trying to escape 110-degree heat.

"None of us will ever be the same in his absence," lifelong friend Jose Pena said. "Remember Hernando as I do: funny, caring and most of all, full of joy."

He is survived by his wife, Liliana, and three daughters, Marlene, 8; Alyssa, 10 months, born to a different mother; and 5-month-old Gabriela.

Marine Sgt. Nathaniel S. Rock

Sgt. Rock

Nathaniel Rock knew it wasn't easy for his parents to see reports of violence in Iraq.

"I'm sorry I'm putting you through this," he wrote in a Mother's Day card. "But I couldn't sit on the sidelines and watch Marines being hurt on TV."

Rock, 26, of Toronto, Ohio, died Aug. 1 of small arms fire. He was assigned to Brook Park.

"It is some comfort to us that we know he was doing what he wanted, what he loved to do," said his father, Tim Rock.

As a part-time police officer after graduating high school in 1997, Rock had great potential, said Barry Carpenter, police chief in Martins Ferry. Rock joined the police department across the river from Wheeling, W.Va., about a year ago and planned to continue as a full-time officer when he returned from Iraq.

"I always saved a spot for him," said Carpenter.

Mahoning County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Schoolcraft met Rock while attending the police academy. Rock had been one of the stellar students and was always willing to help others.

"He always gave 410 percent," he said.

Rock also is survived by his mother, Adriana.

Army 2nd Lt. Charles R. Rubado

When David White was an ROTC cadet, he got a lesson in how calm and cool fellow soldier Charles R. Rubado really was.

"I remember on a field training exercise, I had an accidental discharge of my weapon. It was a blank, right at his face," recalled White. "Instead of jumping on me like most, he took me aside and said, 'Hey, White. That's not how we do it.' He was definitely a good guy."

Rubado, 23, of Clearwater, Fla., was killed Aug. 29 by small-arms fire in Tal Afar. He was based at Fort Carson.

"The thing that struck me the most was his quietness and focus. He was not easily excitable, very mature and calm -- more so than most cadets at his level," said Maj. Chip Seifert.

Charlie graduated Florida Southern College in 2004, was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and a criminology major. He played soccer in high school and loved being in the water.

He is survived by his wife, Mary-Anne.

"He did everything right, he was truly perfect," said Matt Rubado, Charlie's cousin. "He had a path. He graduated from college and went in the military. He was married. He was just plain happy."

Army Spc. Jose L. Ruiz

Last December, Jose Ruiz called his mother, Juliana, to say a "big, big present" was on its way. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Ruiz was at the door, grinning.

"Here's your present," he said, wrapping his mother in a hug.

Ruiz, 28, of Brentwood, N.Y., was killed Aug. 15 by small-arms fire in Mosul. He was based at Fort Lewis.

Ruiz attended the New York Institute of Technology and had worked as computer network engineer in New York but was inspired to join the military after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He is survived by his wife, Alexa, and their 9-month-old daughter, Liana, who met her father for the first and only time last Christmas.

"When he first met her, it was glory," said his stepfather, Eduardo King. "He never let her go."

Ruiz was looking forward to coming home in six weeks, and had bought a house in Washington state.

"I was confident every second of the day that he was going to come home to me," his wife said. "But I thank God for giving me the time he gave me with him and for giving me a baby with him. That's his mark on the world."

Army Sgt. Monta S. Ruth

Monta S. Ruth always wanted to be a soldier and joined the Junior ROTC while he was in the ninth grade. Even at home, "he was like the peacekeeper between everybody," said his sister, Nakeia Ruth.

Ruth, 26, of Winston-Salem, N.C., was killed Aug. 31 by a roadside bomb in Samarra. He was a 1998 high school graduate and was based at Fort Benning.

"He was one of the finest young men I've had in this program," said Lt. Col. Dane Hatley, Ruth's former ROTC instructor. "He was an outstanding student, athlete, and he was our battalion commander as a senior."

On his second tour, Ruth, an engineer, was on a security patrol, escorting an emergency ordinance disposal team to the site of another attack.

His high school principal, Adolphus Coplin, remembers Ruth, but "he wasn't one of those students who got in trouble, so he wasn't coming to the principal's office all the time."

He is survived by his parents, Barbara and Frederic Kluttz.

"It's what they say -- the good die young," Hatley said, adding that the news of Ruth's death "was like a sledgehammer in the chest."

Army Sgt. Paul A. Saylor

Paul A. Saylor made quite an impression in a seventh-grade production of "Arsenic and Old Lace." Saylor played Mortimer Brewster, the part played by Cary Grant in the 1944 movie.

"He wasn't as good as Cary Grant, but he still had a little bit of that air about him," said Jan Cain, Saylor's former teacher. "He was more handsome than Cary Grant, too."

Saylor, 21, of Norcross, died Aug. 15 in Mahmudiyah when his vehicle rolled over into a canal. He was assigned to Calhoun.

A 2002 high school graduate, he attended North Georgia College and State University, a military college. He was a starter on the football team, acted in school plays and was voted "best personality" in the senior class.

"He will be missed by all who knew him. He was friendly, goodhearted, very dedicated, hardworking. His smile would light up a room," said Bremen City Schools Superintendent Stanley McCain.

He is survived by his parents, Jamie and Patti.

"We're going to miss him," said his former principal, Duane McManus. "We're going to miss that upbeat personality, that smile."

Marine Lance Cpl. Edward A. Schroeder II

Lance Cpl. Schroeder

Edward A. Schroeder II may have been the only one to attend Sunday school every week, but he also had a wicked sense of humor. Like the time he went to a Halloween party in a Tonya Harding costume, complete with a lead pipe.

"He could be one of your sons. He could be the kid next door," said his mother, Rosemary Palmer.

Schroeder, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, died Aug. 3 when a roadside bomb destroyed his assault vehicle near the Iraqi-Syrian border. A 2000 high school graduate, he was based in Columbus.

Heavily involved in his church youth group, Schroeder often volunteered at soup kitchens, was a counselor at Boy Scout camp, a lifeguard and a volunteer emergency medical technician.

"I just remember him always giving back to others," said Ty Monk, Schroeder's friend. "He didn't pick and choose, either. He did what everyone else didn't want to, and he did it with a smile."

He attended Ohio State University but left after joining the Marine Reserves. He was employed by Deluxe printing company until his unit was activated in January.

He also is survived by his father, Paul.