Army Sgt. Michael D. Rowe

Michael D. Rowe was in a lead vehicle when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy in Rutbah.

Fellow soldiers quickly pulled him out.

"He just looked over, smiled, and that was it," his father Dave Rowe said. "I firmly believe that he smiled because God's hand was coming down to take him away."

Rowe, 23, of New Port Richey, Fla., was killed March 28, the day before his 24th birthday. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Polk.

Rowe was a budding disc jockey, accomplished photographer, avid BMX biker and high school diver. His "love of life was indescribable, it was contagious," said his sister, Danielle Rowe. "He had a heart of gold."

At Thanksgiving and Christmas, Michael and his wife, Rebecca, pooled what little cash they had to put on a generous feast in their home, welcoming single soldiers who couldn't make it back to their homes for the holidays.

His wife is pregnant with their daughter, who is due in July. The baby's first name is going to be Nevaeh, which is heaven spelled backward.

He was "so loving and full of life," said his mother, Marcy.

Army Pfc. Ricky Salas Jr.

Pfc. Salas

Ricky Salas Jr.'s mother kept in e-mail contact with her son while he was in Iraq. In those message, he confided what was in his heart.

"He said he saw awful things. He said he loved me, he missed me, he wanted me to be happy and proud of him. I was very proud of him," said Brenda Robertson.

Salas, 22, of Roswell, N.M., was killed March 7 by a roadside bomb in Mosul. He was assigned to Friedberg, Germany.

"He'd always wanted to be the leader, and wanted to be the best at anything and everything," said Robertson.

The former construction worker enlisted in the Army about 18 months ago so he would be able to care for his family and gain worldly experiences.

"I'm hurting. I feel like a part of me is gone," she said.

Salas grew up in Lubbock, Texas, and married in 2002, building a home in Roswell with his wife, April, and two young children, a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.

Salas was an outdoorsman who loved playing golf and put his family first, said Robertson, who is employed in a work-study program at Clovis Community College.

"Rick registered me for school," she said.

Army Pfc. Benjamin C. Schuster

Pfc. Schuster

You could likely find Benjamin C. Schuster on his Moped -- with a smile.

"He loved to see how far he could drive a moped," recalled Jared Matthews, a friend. "Ben would drive long distances in the dead of winter, just to show up at somebody's house with a big smile on his face."

Schuster, 21, of Williamsville, N.Y., was killed Feb. 25 by a gunshot wound in Ramadi. He was assigned to Buffalo and had volunteered to fill a position in Iraq with another unit based in Pennsylvania.

"Ben didn't want someone else to have to go in his place," said a brother, Andrew Davis.

Schuster worked as a technician with a cable television company before going overseas.

"He was a whiz with electronics," recalled one of his friends, Jared Matthews. "There are a lot of people who can take something apart, but Ben could put it back together and make it work."

He also is survived by his mother, Phyllis Schuster, and father, Rick Davis.

"If anyone was down or sad about something, Ben always had a way of bringing humor to the situation, and making them feel better," said Sgt. Arthur D. York, a friend.

Army Staff Sgt. Marco A. Silva

Marco A. Silva was nicknames "Shorty" because he stood just 5-foot-1.

"He had more to prove," said his uncle Manny Silva, smiling.

Silva, 27, of Alva, Fla., was killed March 13 when he came under attack by small-arms fire and explosives in Ramadi. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and had done a tour in Afghanistan.

The military provided a backdrop for his dreams, starting with an early obsession with G.I. Joe action figures and expanding to include fierce sessions of war and paint ball in the woods. He became an Army sharpshooter.

"I am not a part of the world. But merely observe it through my cross-hair. I live by the shadows and die by the shadows. I am always distant from everything else. I am fearful by strength. Invincible by distance," he wrote on a profile on Myspace.com.

Silva said he played Green Day's ballad, "Wake Me Up When September Ends," before he went out on missions. He also posted a shot of the tattoo covering his forearm online, next to a snapshot of his two small children. Under their smiling faces he wrote, "This is why I do what I do."

He is survived by his wife, Shannon; 7-year-old son, Tyler; and 4-year-old daughter, Zoe.

Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder

Cpl. Snyder

Matthew A. Snyder was always one of the shortest on his high school basketball team, but he had the biggest heart.

"He was just a ball of fire. He went at everything with full intensity," said David F. Brown, his former coach. "On the court, he made up for everything."

Snyder, 20, of Finksburg, Md., died March 3 in a vehicle accident in Anbar province. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Twentynine Palms.

He liked to fish, play soccer and roller blade. Most recently, he had enjoyed the Super Bowl in Detroit at close range, providing security as part of a military contingent.

"He said, 'Look for me, I'll be on the Texas side,'" recalled his aunt, Cathy Menefee.

Neighbor Erma Dewitt said Snyder's character showed in the way he took care of things. Once, when he came by to let the neighbor's dog out, he found a black snake in the garage.

"He wouldn't kill it," Dewitt said. He just took it outside."

He is survived by his parents, Julie and Albert Snyder.

Pat Ritter, a family friend, said she'll always remember Matthew Snyder as someone who "kept us laughing."

"He was the clown," said Ritter.

Army Pfc. Sean D. Tharp

Sean D. Tharp made an impression on Army recruiters. After all, not many young would-be soldiers are reading a biography of Gen. Colin Powell.

Tharp

"He was a good kid, a gung-ho kid," Ron Horvath, a spokesman for Army recruiters in Central Florida.

Tharp, 21, of Orlando, Fla., died March 28 from small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

"He was a brilliant kid. He had high-enough test scores to do about anything, but he chose the infantry," said his stepfather, Michael Tharp.

Tharp grew up on a series of military bases after his mother and stepfather, both career soldiers, married when he was 3. Despite being a gifted student, Sean started getting in trouble and dropped out during 10th grade.

"He was just trying to get his life back together. He'd gotten his GED, and he had been straight for like a year before he went in," said Michael Tharp.

"Sean was a brother to me, I lived with him for a short period of time during high school and we also used to DJ. He was a good person just wanting to change his lifestyle," said Michael Cosmai, a friend.

He also is survived by his mother, Teresa Tharp.

Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Thornton

John J. Thornton's bedroom was filled with Marine memorabilia, such as stickers, artwork and camouflaged stuffed animals.

"He wanted to be a Marine since he was little," said his uncle, John Alvarado. "It was his dream."

Thornton, 22, of Phoenix, Ariz., was killed Feb. 25 in Ramadi from a mortar attack. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Twentynine Palms.

Alvarado described his nephew as, "a very outgoing, friendly young guy that everyone loved." He added, "I can't tell you how many of his friends I've talked to that are terribly upset over this."

"It's a shame something like this has to happen to the good ones," said Lance Cpl. Jacob Hayes at his colleague's funeral. "He was definitely a good Marine and a better person."

He also is survived by his mother, Rachel; brother, Kyle; and sister, Brianna. His father is deceased.

Joe Montoya, Thornton's grandfather, couldn't make the service, but sent a letter to be read.

"I never met someone I could call my hero," Montoya wrote. "Now I have a hero: John Joshua Thornton, my U.S. Marine."

Army Cpl. Nyle Yates III

Cpl. Yates

Nyle Yates III saw combat during his first tour of duty. At that time, he was a radio operator when his commander was wounded.

"Nyle had to call in a helicopter. For a 19-year-old kid, that was pretty good," recalled his former principal, Mike O'Mara.

Yates, 22, of Lake Odessa, Mich., died March 16 in Bayji when he came under small-arms fire. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and was on his second tour.

The army corporal was proud of his military service, said the Rev. Ben Ridder. "In one of his last e-mails home, Nyle wrote, 'Hi Mom. What are you doing? I'm saving the world,'" Ridder said.

Yates, who graduated high school in 2002, hardly missed a day of classes. "He was a kid that came into school everyday," said O'Mara.

"He came as a baby-faced freshman all of 5'5" and left as a 6'1" senior who always had a smile on his face," recalled O'Mara.

Yates is survived by his mother and stepfather, Jami and Donald Edgecomb; and a sister, Krystal.

"He was the best friend anybody could have," said Mike Vipond. "You couldn't be more proud of anyone in your life."

Army Sgt. Joshua V. Youmans

Even though Joshua V. Youmans couldn't be in the delivery room the day his daughter MacKenzie was born, he listened on the phone until he heard her cry.

He loved to watch his daughter on the Web video camera after she was born and would baby-sit via the Internet from Iraq.

Youmans

"Just so he could see her being a baby," said his wife, Katie.

Youmans, 26, of Flushing, Mich., died March 1 in Texas of injuries sustained Nov. 21 in Habbaniyah by a land mine. He was assigned to Saginaw.

His wife treasures their ordinary times together, such as eating barbecue wings during dinners out and playing with their dog, Sweetie. Or how at night she'd always say "Sleep tight," and he would respond with "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"Josh and I completed each other," she said. "He was my soul mate and the love of my life. We knew how lucky we were to have found each other. I am so grateful to have been a part of his life."

"Even though his life was lived way too short, he made the most of it," she said. "He was so proud to be a part of the infantry. He truly was an American hero."

Marine Cpl. Adam O. Zanutto

Adam O. Zanutto could always be found watching the History Channel, "Sands of Iwo Jima," 1960's "Combat" series, "Black Hawk Down," or "Band of Brothers."

Enlisting was only a matter of time.

Zanutto

"He joined knowing the situation," said brother Scott. "He was compelled."

Zanutto, 26, of Caliente, Calif., died March 6 in Maryland of wounds sustained during a roadside bomb outside Baghdad on Feb. 25. He was assigned to Twentynine Palms and was on his third tour.

He graduated high school in 1998 and attended Bakersfield College, where he took classes in criminal justice. He enlisted in 2002.

Some of his accomplishments on the playing field were a no-hitter in baseball and the desire to make the game winning assist rather than score a goal in soccer.

Zanutto's love of the Pittsburgh Steelers started at a young age and grew even more as they won the Super Bowl this year. He was able to watch the game overseas and immediately called home and talked to everyone.

He is survived by his wife, Amber, her children, Junior and Mercedes.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice," said his brother.

Army Pfc. Angelo A. Zawaydeh

When Angelo A. Zawaydeh first told his parents he wanted to join the military, they refused.

They were worried about the dangers facing their teenage son going to war and had concerns about Zawaydeh, whose father is Jordanian, participating in a Middle Eastern war. His uncle is a member of the Jordanian parliament.

Zawaydeh

By the time he turned 18, he didn't need permission.

"When he joined," said his mother, April Bradreau, "we asked, 'Why didn't you go to college?' And he said, 'I can't sit in the classroom anymore. I need to get up and do something.'"

Zawaydeh, 19, of San Bruno, Calif., died March 15 in a mortar attack in Baghdad. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell.

Friends remembered him as an extreme sports enthusiast who was rarely seen without his skateboard. "He said it made him feel good inside," said his mother. He also adored his Siberian husky, Shadow, and her pup, Oso.

He also is survived by his father, Akram Zawaydeh.

"He was always there for anybody who needed help. He never said no to anybody. He was a respectful young man. He helped whenever I needed help," said his mother.