Army Sgt. Howard P. Allen

In Iraq, Howard P. Allen was in a situation that frustrated him and at times depressed him.

Allen wrote Aug. 25: "You feel that bomb go off in your dreams, but it's not your buddy this time but you."

Allen, 31, of Mesa, Ariz., was killed Sept. 26 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Phoenix.

"Sergeant Allen was a fine soldier, a wonderful husband, father, son, and friend to many. This is a tragic loss to our Arizona National Guard family," said Maj. Gen. David P. Rataczak, adjutant general of the Arizona National Guard.

He graduated from high school in 1993 and was a member of both a school program for marketing studies and an anti-drunken driving organization.

He is survived by his wife, Patience; 3-year-old son; and stepchildren ages 12 and 10.

"He'll never see his son grow up. He'll never be there to walk Caitlyn down the aisle when she gets married. He'll never be here to teach Edwin how to drive," his wife wrote.

"He'll never be here for me to grow old with. He was my life. He was my love. He was my heart and soul. Never did I think that at the age of 31 I'd be a widow."

Army Staff Sgt. William A. Allers III

Iraqi children loved seeing William A. Allers III on patrol. That meant fun things were going to happen.

"The soldiers handed out stationery, candy and gum. It opened up a whole new world to them. He was ecstatic that he was doing something good," said younger brother Dave Allers.

Allers, 28, of Leitchfield, Ky., was killed Sept. 20 by a roadside bomb near Khalis. He was based at Louisville.

As a child, Allers showed deep interest in history, particularly in World War II and the Vietnam War, his brother said. He also loved to fish.

"He was a carefree kid. He liked clowning around," said his father, William Allers Jr. "But he liked to work hard."

In high school, Allers excelled in track, capturing medals in state competitions. In 1995, during his senior year, he signed up for the Army. In 2003, he left to become a machinist at an office furniture company.

"His friends looked up to him. The people who worked with him adored him. He's going to be missed by a lot of people," said his brother.

He also is survived by his wife, Bethany; their 7-year-old daughter; and an 8-year-old son from his first marriage.

Airman 1st Class Carl L. Anderson Jr.

His name was officially Carl L. Anderson Jr., but his family knew him as "Little Carl" and his military buddies called him "C.J.," for Cool Jones.

Anderson enjoyed music and sports, said his sister, Carletta. He once had a car with a disco ball and was repairing a 1978 Chevrolet Impala he nicknamed "Sheila."

Anderson, 21, of Georgetown, S.C., died Aug. 29, 2004, when his truck ran over a roadside bomb near Mosul. He was based at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

He and his sister, two years apart in age, talked at least once a day while he was stationed stateside. "He liked hip-hop, and he would try to rap and write lyrics," she said.

Anderson entered the Air Force after graduating from high school in 2001. The easygoing middle child, he was voted most popular in his senior class. "He was very friendly and outgoing and very well-liked," said the Rev. William Walker, Anderson's godfather. "He will be missed. It's like there was a link in a chain, and there will be no one else who can fill that spot."

Anderson is survived by his parents, Doris and Carl Anderson.

Army Sgt. Kurtis D. K. Arcala

Though Kurtis Arcala was scheduled for his two weeks of leave, he gave them to another member of his unit, who was lower in rank, simply because his fellow soldier had a wife and kids back home who needed to see him.

"He gave up that R&R time because he knew what it would mean to that family," said former high school basketball coach, Brandon Blake. "He had an infectious smile that could just light up a room."

Arcala, 22, of Palmer, Alaska, was killed Sept. 11 near Balad by a roadside bomb. He graduated high school in 2001 and was based at Fort Stewart.

He may have signed up to pay his way through college, but he wore the uniform with pride. When he took his great-grandmother to church, he did it in his dress uniform.

He was a standout in two sports, basketball and soccer. Captain of both teams his senior year, Arcala inspired his teammates, his coaches said.

"Whether it was a practice or game situation, at halftime the kids really listened to him," said Blake. "He was truly a natural leader."

His goal was to become a physical education teacher.

He is survived by his parents, Angela and John.

Army Spc. Travis M. Arndt

Travis M. Arndt loved to drive in the mountains in his Jeep. He loved long, hot afternoons diving off the rocks on the Missouri River. He loved hiking and snowshoeing in the Rocky Mountain Front.

"He was a really good kid," said Tina Price, mother of one of Travis' best friend. "He was a happy-go-lucky, smiling-all-the-time kid, a really fun guy to be around."

Arndt, 23, of Bozeman, Mont., was killed Sept. 21 in a vehicle accident in Kirkuk. He was assigned to Missoula.

A 2001 high school graduate, he had been taking classes at Montana State University. He wanted to become a football coach or a police officer.

"Travis had a contagious laugh," said his father, Mark Arndt. "He could change the mood in a room from somber to joyous. My son was somebody everybody admired."

Arndt was an amateur boxer and he lifted weights, especially the parallel squat and power clean. He had planned to come home on leave in October to surprise his girlfriend, Lindsay Logan, on her birthday.

"I honestly believe he planned to ask her to marry him," said his stepbrother, Steve Salazar.

Army Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Arnold

Daniel L. Arnold's family received word of his death on the same day that Arnold's father, Kendall, received a 62nd birthday card from him in the mail.

"Yes, I'm bitter, but my son wouldn't want me to be," said Janet Arnold, his mother. "He was a very focused, dedicated soldier. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price."

Arnold, 27, of Montrose, Pa., was killed Sept. 28 in Ramadi when his vehicle came under attack. He was assigned to New Milford.

Arnold had six years with the military, serving first with the Reserves, then the Guard. He graduated from high school in 1996 and got an associate's degree in truck mechanics. He did work on 18-wheelers.

"Everything he did, he excelled at," said Janet Arnold, his mother.

He and his high school sweetheart, Kimberly, were married in June 2000 and their first son, Devin, was born in November 2001. "One of their favorite things was going to Chuck E. Cheese," she said.

He also is survived by another son Kody, 1. "He was an amazing father," she said. "He lived for those two boys. Everything he did was for them."

Army Staff Sgt. Jason A. Benford

There were two things that Jason A. Benford loved: his wife and Ohio State football. On Jan. 3, 2003 -- his wedding anniversary and the night of OSU's championship game against Miami -- he had to choose.

Luckily, his wife ate quickly and the game went into overtime.

"He took me out to dinner, but he was looking at his watch the whole time," Kim Benford said. "He lived in Georgia, but he was always a Buckeye."

Benford, 30, of Toledo, Ohio, was killed Sept. 27 by small-arms fire in Ramadi. He was assigned to Fort Benning.

"He's always been a special, special person, so even-toned. He'd handle all types of situations and not even break a sweat," his wife said.

Benford, who graduated high school in 1993, took classes at the University of Toledo but decided he wasn't quite ready for school and joined the Army in 1994, staying for 11 years.

He met his wife while stationed at Fort Benning, near her hometown. They were married in January 1998. "My mother had told me not to date soldiers," she said, laughing. "But I did and married him."

He also is survived by 10-year-old Lane and 4-year-old Jacob.

Army Sgt. Matthew C. Bohling

Pastor Bradley Rud's best stories about Matthew C. Bohling sprang from a church youth group trip to a lake.

"One of my favorites was my warning him not to stand up in a canoe at Nancy Lake. He ended up upside down only moments later, but he's a good swimmer, so he didn't have any problems," said Rud.

Bohling, 22, of Eagle River, Alaska, was killed Sept. 5 in Ramadi by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Benning and volunteered to go to Iraq for a first tour in 2003.

Bohling's father, Charles, said his son, "loves the typical Alaska lifestyle and is happy with gun or rod in hand. Fun is at its best for him if a four-wheeler is involved."

At a memorial service, Rud spoke of Bohling's infectious spirit and his ability to brighten up even the darkest day.

"Impetuous, kind of fits, in fact -- that's something that got him into a little trouble on more than one occasion, but he also had a giant heart and an honest love for people and those are things that got him out of trouble on more than one occasion," said Rud.

He also is survived by his mother, Sandra.

Army Pfc. Oliver J. Brown

From kindergarten on, Oliver J. Brown and Brandon Johnson were more like brothers than friends.

They played Little League together, graduated from the same high school in 2004, biked and hunted together, and enlisted together. They planned to be each other's best man.

Brown, 19, of Carbondale, Pa., was killed Sept. 28 in Ramadi when his vehicle came under attack. He was assigned to New Milford.

The news stunned Johnson. "Physically he is OK," said Lisa Johnson, Brandon's mother. "Emotionally he is a wreck. 'I lost my best friend. I lost my brother,' he told me."

Brandon's father, Robert Johnson, remembers when the two signed up for the National Guard.

"Oliver joined and Brandon said, 'I want to go with you.' They joined together because they didn't want to be alone. They even asked the recruiter to make sure they were placed in the same unit."

He is survived by his mother, Sue Orchard, and father, Bob Brown.

Before he died, Brown asked his mother to send him his childhood baseball mitt so he and Johnson could play catch. He wanted it to be a surprise.

It was sent before she heard the news.

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Army Spc. Jeremy M. Campbell

It's no wonder Jeremy M. Campbell got A's in English and journalism. He basically single-handedly put out the high school paper.

"He did just about all the work himself," said teacher Liz Hoover. "He used to work on the paper during study halls whenever he had time. He just did everything for that newspaper."

Campbell, 21, of Middlebury, Pa., was killed Sept. 11 by a bomb blast in Baghdad. He graduated high school in 2002 and was assigned to Fort Bragg.

"He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but he got things done," said Principal Patrick Hewitt.

After his parents died, Campbell was taken in by his stepgrandfather, Aaron Wilbur, who taught the boy to fish, shoot and hunt, and called in his first wild turkey.

"He called me from Iraq, and he wanted to know if I was still going to go wild boar hunting with him in North Carolina when he got back," Wilbur said.

Campbell, who worked at the Laurel Lanes bowling alley for two years, had dreams. "He wanted to be a state trooper and own the bowling lanes. He was very goal-oriented," said owner Mike Goodwin.

He also is survived by his wife, Maddison.

Army Sgt. Matthew L. Deckard

Deckard

When Matthew L. Deckard came home from combat, he didn't like hitting the bars or running wild. He craved more simple, quiet pleasures.

"He really wanted to just be a homebody. We had date nights, just me and him. We had movie nights with the kids," said his wife, Angela. "When he came home for R&R, or just any time he came home from work, he would just jump for joy that they were right there with him. It made his night, every night."

Deckard, 29, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was killed Sept. 16 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He graduated from high school in 1994 and was assigned to Fort Stewart.

Deckard loved to take his children fishing or to Georgia's beaches. Whenever their cars would break down, Deckard, who taught himself how to repair cars, insisted on fixing them himself. He also was a video game junkie, owning both a Playstation 2 and X-Box.

Angela Deckard said her husband, a tank gunner and driver, joined the Army because "he just thought it'd be really cool to be on a tank."

Deckard also is survived by his three children, 6-year-old Makayla, 5-year-old Noah and 3-year-old Austin.

Army Sgt. Andrew J. Derrick

In his last call home, Andrew J. Derrick said he was hungry for a steak and wanted to go to the South Carolina-Vanderbilt football game

"He was very tired," said his stepfather, Carey Shealy. "It was 2 a.m. his time when he called, and he had had just four hours of sleep. He had been working 20-hour days. He said he couldn't wait to get home to see us."

Derrick, 25, of Columbia, S.C., was killed Sept. 23 by small-arms fire near Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood and had previously served in Bosnia and South Korea.

"He was just the sweetest," said his aunt, Barbara Rainey. "It was always, What can I do for you?"

He was a graduate of Marion Military Institute, lettering in varsity football, baseball and basketball. He was named the class of 1998's "Best All Round Athlete" and was named to Alabama's All Star Baseball Team in 1998. He later attended Francis Marion University.

Derrick had proposed to Sgt. Shaunna Miller, whom he met in an Army infirmary after injuring his leg playing softball in Korea.

He also is survived by his mother, Suzanne Shealy; father, Butch Derrick; and stepmother, Deborah Derrick.