Army Pvt. Shawn Pahnke

Pvt. Pahnke

Shawn Pahnke grew up with military pride -- his father was a Vietnam veteran and his grandfather served in World War II -- and he was fulfilling his lifelong dream to serve in the military.

"His last letters talked about how proud he was to be a soldier," said his father, Tom Pahnke. "He was glad that he was finally doing what he was trained to do."

Pahnke, 25, of Shelbyville, Ind., was killed June 16 by a sniper in Iraq. He had enlisted in October after getting married and was stationed in Germany.

Tom Pahnke said his son missed the birth of his son, Dean, on March 20, but was able to speak with his wife, Elisha, on a cell phone.

"She had Shawn on the phone talking to him while she had the baby," Tom Pahnke said. "Shawn was able to hear the baby cry for the first time and know that he had a son."

Army Spc. Jose Amancio Perez III

Spc. Perez

Combat medic Jose Amancio Perez III's irrepressible sense of humor was matched only by his genuine desire to help others.

"One of the things he always wanted to do was be a paramedic, and he was using the combat medic as a step to do that and help people," said Spec. Alvie Jones.

"He had an amazing sense of humor. He could crack a smile out of a stone wall."

Perez, 22, from San Diego, Texas, and stationed at Fort Sill, died May 28 when his convoy was ambushed.

When his flag-draped casket arrived in his hometown of about 5,000 people -- where his family is one of the largest -- the hearse was met by hundreds of neighbors lining the roadway, waving flags and holding candles. Residents later raised two long columns of flags to attention.

Perez was remembered as a sharply dressed, competitive young man who worked hard but knew how to enjoy himself.

"He also loved the Army," said his best friend, Rene Salaiz. "He spoke of it proudly, just like when he caught an interception in a (high school) football game. He flashed his dog tags around."

Army Cpl. Tomas Sotelo Jr.

In the eyes of his superiors, Tomas Sotelo was a guiding light for his unit.

"In those moments of stress, he would always have something to say that would lighten their hearts," said Brig. Gen. Jason Kamiya, commander of Sotelo's training unit at Fort Polk.

Sotelo's platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Zollman, said Sotelo "was like a big brother to the other soldiers."

"He was the guy who, when other soldiers would come to the unit, would help teach them what they should do and what they shouldn't do to stay out of trouble," Zollman said.

Sotelo, 22, of Houston died June 27 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq. He was the son of Tomas and Benancia Sotelo.

Zollman said the 22-man platoon -- down to 19 after the three casualties -- is "very close."

"We go in together and we never separate," he said. "Everybody took it hard, but we'll keep on going for him."

Army Military Police Staff Sgt. Brett Petriken

Staff Sgt. Petriken with his daughter Rhiannon

Brett Petriken was such a loyal Detroit Lions football fan that he had game tapes sent to him overseas.

"He loved to watch them, win or lose," said his stepmother, Kathy Petriken.

He also loved a good joke, and knew how to make people feel at ease, said his uncle, Dave Petriken. "Nobody had a bad word to say about him," he said.

Petriken, 30, from Flint, Mich., and stationed in Germany, was killed in a traffic accident May 26 in Iraq.

Just before he left for Iraq, he told his mother not to worry.

"He said 'I have a bulletproof vest and a bulletproof Humvee. Mom, I'm trained for this,"' Deborah Petriken said.

Jeff Blanchard, a former high school substitute teacher, said Petriken was "just a clean-cut, polite, nice young man."

"You never had to ask him to be quiet, you never had to ask him to sit down," he said. "When it's that quality of an individual, it really hurts."

Petriken is survived by his wife, Christina, and 8-year-old daughter.

Army Ranger Andrew Chris

Army Ranger Andrew Chris called his brother on June 22 to let him know he was headed overseas. "He said, 'This is the last time I'm going to call you from the States,"' Josh Chris recalled.

Andrew Chris, 25, died just a few days later. The Florence, Ala., native was killed along with another Ranger on June 25 when a vehicle packed with explosives detonated in Baghdad.

"He went through some of the most rigorous training in the world just to be a Ranger," Josh Chris said. "But he loved it. He'd go on a 20-mile hike with a 60-pound pack and call me that night and be in a great mood."

Chris, who lived in San Diego, followed a long line of relatives into the military. Both of his grandfathers served in World War II, his father served in the Army, his uncle in Special Forces and his brother Derek in the Navy.

Josh Chris said knowing that his brother died doing what he loved has made it easier to accept.

"He was spiritually and emotionally ready," Chris said.

Army Staff Sgt. Andrew R. Pokorny

Sgt. Pokorny

Andrew Pokorny's commitment to the Army and his fellow soldiers had been unwavering ever since he joined the service fresh out of high school and began his career as a mechanic.

"He just loved the camaraderie. He loved being with other soldiers, the soldiers who were under him," said his wife, Martha. "Everything about them came first."

Pokorny, 30, of Naperville, Ill., died June 13 in a vehicle accident in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Carson.

Martha Pokorny said her husband's commander told her Pokorny had saved another soldier's life before losing his own.

His sister, Barbara Bonnet, said that despite her worries she had understood her brother's commitment to his job.

"This was his thing. He was proud to be doing it," she said. "He was ready to get down there and do it and do it right."

Martha Pokorny said her husband also served six months as a mechanic with the Army Rangers in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1992.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Gladimir Philippe

Sgt. 1st Class Philippe

The eldest of nine children, Gladimir Philippe called home from Iraq often and counseled his little brother to swear off girls and keep his head on straight.

"He was like my best friend and my brother at the same time," said Fedlyn Philippe, 16, Gladimir's youngest brother. "He was a person I could just talk to. I looked up to him a lot."

Philippe's body and that of a fellow soldier were found May 28 near Baghdad. The soldiers were reported missing three days earlier from the town of Balad, 25 miles north of the Iraqi capital.

Philippe, 37, of Roselle, N.J., was part of an artillery unit based at Fort Sill. He enlisted in the Army in 1988 after graduating from high school.

The Army "was something (Gladimir) chose to do," his brother said. "He always told me not to join. He told me to play basketball and keep my head strong and don't worry about girls, and to do good in school."

Army Maj. Mathew E. Schram

Maj. Schram

Mathew E. Schram grew up wanting to be a soldier, and joined ROTC in college before enlisting in the Army in 1989. He and his girlfriend, also an Army major, thought nothing about it when he was shipped out to the Middle East in April.

"We thought it was over. I wasn't worried about him at all," said Kam Gunther, 34.

Schram, 36, of Brookfield, Wis., and stationed at Fort Carson, died May 26 when his convoy was ambushed.

"Mat might have been a little embarrassed by all the attention he got," his father, Earl Schram, said after his son was honored posthumously.

"He was kind of a modest man. He wouldn't tell somebody else to do something if he wasn't willing to do it himself."

The Rev. Daniel Pakenham said Schram lived by his principles.

"He set his mind on this and his heart and he lived by it," Pakenham said. "He lived by it to the extent he would give his life for it. That's eloquence."

Army Pfc. Jeremiah D. Smith

Pfc. Smith

When Jeremiah D. Smith was killed in Iraq on May 26, it wasn't just his family who felt the loss. There also were his comrades at Fort Riley.

Smith, 25, of Odessa, Mo., was a cavalry scout in Baghdad -- putting him out front looking for possible trouble awaiting his fellow soldiers. He was escorting heavy equipment transporters when his vehicle hit unexploded ordnance, killing him.

"He was a hard-nosed hard charger who didn't stop," said Staff Sgt. Ryan Rust, who saw Smith just about every day at Fort Riley. "We were brothers in arms. I respected him very much."

Smith was married and had two daughters, ages 3 and 5.

His father, Doug Smith of Odessa, said his son was proud of being a soldier.

"But what he really wanted to do was to become a teacher," his father said. "And he was going to use his Army benefits to pay for college. He wanted to help teach young people about life."

Army Spc. Orenthial J. Smith

Spc. Smith

Orenthial J. Smith joined the high school football team his senior year, as a wide receiver and kicker. He didn't play every game, but that was OK -- the coach says Smith was happy just being part of the team.

"He liked the camaraderie and the relationships he built with the guys he played with," said Carlos Cave, football coach at Allendale-Fairfax High School in South Carolina. "He tried extra hard. He always did whatever that was asked of him."

Smith, 21, died June 22 after an attack on his convoy south of Baghdad. He joined the military right out of high school, and was stationed in Germany.

Smith's mother, Iratean, said her son had hoped to make the military his career. But still, she said, he had reservations about the war.

"He loved the Army, but he didn't like the war," she said.

After arriving in Iraq, her son told her "Bush is trying to say the war is over, but the war is far from over," she said.

Army Sgt. Joseph Suell

Joseph Suell was known for giving it his all, whether on the basketball court or in the Army.

"Joseph was a dedicated young man," said Jesse Walker, Suell's basketball coach at Lufkin (Texas) High School. "He gave everything he had, did what the coaches asked, never made excuses and was always on time."

Suell, 24, a supply specialist stationed at Fort Sill, died June 16 in Iraq of a non-combat-related cause. His death is being investigated.

Suell was a point guard on his high school basketball team, earning honorable mention all-district status in 1996 and 1997, Walker said.

Ronald Kellam, who worked with Suell for seven months, said in an e-mail to the Lufkin Daily News from Iraq that Suell was a hero, doing a job many at home take for granted.

"A hero in his family's eye, a hero to many of the soldiers that he worked with. Joe's death came as a real shock to everyone here," he said.

"The day that Joe died was a day that I lost a brother."

Survivors include his wife, Rebecca.

Army Sgt. Michael L. Tosto

Michael L. Tosto was a tank driver who didn't die from combat, but from pneumonia that his mother said developed rapidly and killed him before he could be airlifted from Baghdad to a military hospital in Germany.

Tosto, 24, who grew up in Chatham County, N.C., and was stationed in Germany, died June 17. Family members say his death came less than 48 hours after he started showing symptoms of pneumonia. He had been assigned to duty in Baghdad April 30.

Tosto is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and 19-month-old son, Cameron.

The last time his mother, Janet Tosto, heard his voice was when he called on her May 5 birthday.

"He loved driving tanks," said his mother, of Atlantic, N.C. "He didn't like being away from his family now, and he just loved that little boy, but he really enjoyed what he did."

His mother said Tosto's wife had received two letters from him since he died in which he was "talking about how much he loved her and how much he wanted to spend the next 80 years with her."

Army Staff Sgt. Michael B. Quinn

Staff Sgt. Quinn

Michael Quinn was an "all-American boy" who helped raise sheep in high school, then enlisted in the Army to pay for college. He turned out to become a career Army man.

"He was a gung-ho soldier," said stepfather Peter Folgner.

Quinn, 37, of Tampa, Fla., and stationed at Fort Carson, died May 27 at a checkpoint shooting in Iraq.

"He would put his heart and soul into whatever he was doing," said his mother, Sally Quinn Taylor.

Folgner said Quinn planned to retire in four years and then move to Mississippi, where he hoped to become a military instructor. He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and 9-year-old son.

"He fought for our freedom, that we would have less danger from terrorists, and he was killed by terrorists, not soldiers," Folgner said.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Doyle W. Bollinger Jr.

Petty Officer Bollinger

Doyle W. Bollinger Jr. was dedicated to his job and to his country -- but also was known for his special touches, such as giving people things he'd found or made.

Retired seventh-grade teacher Pat Eidschun still has a ceramic turtle that Bollinger gave her years ago.

"He was always grinning and had a smile on his face," she said.

Bollinger, 21, from Poteau, Okla., died June 6 after unexploded ordnance accidentally detonated north of Baghdad. He was a Navy Seabee assigned to the Gulfport, Miss.-based Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133.

"He wasn't very big, but he didn't know it," Eidschun said. "In his mind, he was a giant."

Army Spc. Joshua M. Neusche

For Joshua M. Neusche's family, there was at least some comfort in being able to see him just before he died.

Neusche, 20, of Montreal, Mo., died July 12 at a hospital in Germany from pneumonia contracted earlier in Iraq. He was an Army Reservist based in Joplin, Mo.

Monique Willcut, Neusche's cousin, said Neusche's parents arrived in Germany a few days before his death, as doctors were trying stabilize him so he could be flown to a hospital in the United States.

"He never made it there," Willcut said. "But at least my aunt, uncle and cousin Jacob made it in time and were able to be with him before he died."

Willcut said 650 soldiers in Neusche's unit, still in Iraq, each gave $10 to pay for the family's airfare and expenses in Germany.

"It was so nice of them to do that," Willcut said. "If they hadn't my cousin would have died all alone."

Army Spc. Ramon Reyes Torres

Ramon Reyes Torres was the pride of his grandfather, who was a soldier for 24 years and died in June.

"His military career was very important to him," said Ramon's brother, Carlos Reyes. "He was the only military grandson that Carmelo Reyes had."

Reyes, 29, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, died July 16 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq. He was buried in the family tomb, next to his grandfather.

Carlos Reyes described his brother as a "tremendous person, a humble man, hardworking, very dedicated to his work."

Reyes, who enlisted when he was 18 and was based at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, is survived by a wife and three children.