Army Spc. Dustin J. Harris

It was Dustin J. Harris's sense of humor and clumsiness that provided his friends endless comic relief.

"A 5-9 with size 13 feet, friends said walking anywhere was a challenge for him and a joke session for them to watch," Chaplain David Neetz said.

Harris, 21, of Bangor, Maine, was killed April 6 in Beiji when his patrol was struck by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Wainwright.

Harris graduated high school in 2002, where he was a four-year varsity soccer player. Harris also played a year of baseball and was involved in fundraisers and other class activities.

According school principal Ruth Bates, Harris was quiet, but well-liked by his classmates. "Just an all-around wonderful young man," Bates said.

After high school he worked at the local NAPA Auto Parts store before enlisting. Chief Warrant Officer Mark E. Chapman said Harris was not a soldier seeking attention.

"While some search for glory, Dustin tried to pass glory on to others," he said. While on duty, for example, he was the often the lead gunner of a convoy.

He also survived by his parents, Scott and Lorna Harris

Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Hartwick

CWO Hartwick

High school Principal Rick Wrisinger remembers when Michael L. Hartwick, just a youngster, told a Vietnam veteran that he was going to fly helicopters.

"You know, you hear kids say things like that all the time, and you think 'We'll see,'" Wrisinger said. "But he followed through and did it."

Hartwick, 37, of Orrick, Mo., was killed April 1 when his Apache helicopter crashed. He graduated in 1986 and was assigned to Fort Hood.

"When I heard the news, I thought, 'That's one of America's best and brightest,'" said Sandra Pendleton, who taught Hartwick social studies. "If you had a son, he was what you would have wanted him to be."

Even in high school, Hartwick had quite a resume. Besides his athletic career, he was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. He helped raise money to build a Ray County Vietnam Veterans memorial.

A few years ago, when Hartwick returned to Orrick after flying missions over Kosovo, the school held a surprise welcome home party for him. "He told me that day that 'This makes it all worth it, to know people really do care,'" Wrisinger said.

He is survived by his wife, Kerri, and their two young children.

Army Pfc. Raymond L. Henry

Pfc. Henry

While a student at Santa Ana College in January 2005, Raymond L. Henry joined the Army, thinking it might help his chances of becoming a firefighter.

"I think he needed to have some direction," said John Perrot, the father of Henry's friend. "I think it gave him something he needed. It made him feel life was worthwhile."

Henry, 21, of Anaheim, Calif., died April 25 in Mosul by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Wainwright and was a 2003 high school graduate.

He loved basketball and competed in high school. He helped coach a summer league and could play basketball video games for hours.

His mother's favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers, so Henry naturally picked another team: LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Once in Iraq, he found himself defending the California team, and picked Kobe Bryant as one of his favorite players.

Henry gave flowers to his friend's mother for Mother's Day. During leave, Henry sent his mother, Willieetta Robinson-Henry, a bouquet of yellow roses with a card stating "Mom, just because I love you."

"It was a short life, but it was a full life," she said.

He also is survived by his father, Raymond Henry.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Hernandez

While in Iraq, Robert Hernandez told a reporter how much he enjoyed being part of a company of reservists that was protecting convoys.

"We get to see the country, the bad parts and the good parts," he said. "The heartbreaking part is when you see the little kids on the side of the roads. They look very poor."

Hernandez, 47, of Silver Spring, Md., was killed March 28 in Taquaddum when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Meade.

Hernandez, a corporal on the Prince George's County force, had worked there for 10 years, most recently training officers. He also had served as a police officer in Puerto Rico, Baltimore and Washington.

His county police supervisor, Maj. Michael Blow, praised him as "a hardworking officer who easily earned the respect of his fellow officers." Hernandez's unit won a citation in 2000 for organizing care packages for flood victims in Mozambique.

Fellow officers remembered Hernandez as a family man and a martial arts practitioner with a sixth-degree black belt.

He is survived by two sons, Xariel and Micah; his fiancee, Priscila Godley; and his mother, Juana Pizarro.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard J. Herrema

Sgt. Heerrema

While driving back to Michigan from Colorado eight years ago, Richard J. Herrema and buddy David Offringa stopped at an Army recruiting center in Tennessee.

Offringa didn't make the cut; Herrema walked out with a career.

"Rick came out all starry-eyed. He was ready to be a soldier that day," Offringa said. "He was going to take the hardest, toughest route and be the best he could be."

Herrema, 27, of Hudsonville, Mich., was killed April 25 in Baghdad when he came under fire. He was assigned to Fort Bragg.

Herrema was a 1997 high school graduate who enjoyed working on cars, helping friends and giving gifts to his family.

He enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in 1999 and then graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in June 2003 as a medical sergeant.

"He loved helping others," said his mother, Mary Herrema. "Being there to make it better for people."

He was in the Army for seven years, but in Iraq only three weeks. After two weeks of missions there, Herrema was hooked, enlisting for another four-year term, his parents said.

He also is survived by his father, Richard.

Army Spc. Kenneth D. Hess

Spc. Hess

Kenneth D. Hess was a very protective big brother.

"He held my hand on the way to school on my first day of kindergarten and made sure I got there OK," said Tandace Taylor, Kenny Hess' younger sister. "He always stuck up for me."

Hess, 26, of Asheville, N.C., was killed April 11 during a suicide bomb attack in Rawah. He was assigned to Fort Wainwright.

As a kid, Kenny Hess loved baseball, was an avid camper, liked fast cars and taking things apart and putting them back together. He dropped out of school and later earned a GED.

"He was a good kid," said his father, Terry Hess. "He was stubborn. If he didn't want to do something, it was like trying to move a mountain."

At first, the Army wouldn't take him. "He kept after them and kept after them," said his father. "There was a colonel at Fort Jackson who said, 'If he's that persistent, then we need people like him.'"

"He made a dang good soldier," his father said. "He was so proud to serve his country."

Hess is survived by his wife, April, and a 10-year-old son, Alex, from a previous relationship. Kenny and April planned on having a baby when he got home from Iraq.

Army Spc. Ty J. Johnson

Spc. Johnson

Even as a youngster, Ty J. Johnson had a protective streak, watching over his fraternal twin brother and once driving away a bully who was picking on Blake with the firm warning, "Don't pick on my little brother."

"He was two minutes older than I was, and he was always the protecting older brother," Blake Johnson said. "The two minutes was like two years."

Ty Johnson, 28, of Elk Grove, Calif., was killed April 4 in Kirkuk when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and was on his second tour.

Johnson excelled in science and math. He developed an interest in forensics and was an avid fan of the television show "CSI."

"Ty was always more about helping other people than himself," said Blake. "He'd give a person his last dollar to help them out. I think that's how he viewed things over there Ñ he was making a difference, even at the cost of not being able to see his family for years."

In a recent e-mail home, he wrote: "I'm carrying 32,000 ballots in my Humvee. I'm going to be part of history."

He also is survived by his wife, Corinne; daughter Kirsten, 3; and son Rand, almost 2.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kun Y. Kim

Kun Y. Kim's father, a former soldier himself, spoke of his son with a soldier's stoicism.

"He loved peace," said Yong Su Kim at the younger man's visitation service. "But if military action was necessary, he was proud to serve." Then he added, "I wish for no more victims."

Kim, 20, of Atlanta, Ga., was killed April 2 when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Anbar province. He was a 2003 high school graduate who was assigned to Camp Lejeune.

Instead of going directly to college, he enlisted, following his brother and his father who had served in the Korean military. He also wanted to earn military benefits to pay for his own college expenses.

"The Marines became his new family," said David Choe, a longtime friend. Kim immigrated from Korea as an infant and became a U.S. citizen.

People who knew Kim spoke of how genial, how likable he was. "He was my hero," said Kim King, a cousin. "He never got angry. He never had a bad word to say about anybody."

Army Spc. Eric D. King

When Eric D. King's graveyard shift at a trucking company ended at 7:30 a.m., most workers would go home. Not King and his pal Wilson Thompson.

They would head for a boat ramp and fish "for whatever would bite," Thompson said. The duo also hunted deer, but never got around to a planned elk trip.

King, 29, of Vancouver, Wash., was killed April 22 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

He left a job as a driver for Yellow Freight System in Portland to enlist in 2004. "He always wanted to go into the military, and he wanted to go into Iraq. He was where he wanted to be -- on the front lines," said his widow, Tracie.

At one time King and Thompson were the youngest recruits on the docks and were the first two with cell phones. "We used to drive everybody nuts with our ear pieces," Thompson said. "It drove them all nuts."

He also is survived by his daughters, Ashlin, 6, and Shealyn, 8. A daughter's name was tattooed on each of his arms.

"He was loved by everyone," said Tracie. "His sense of humor and personality just drew people to him. Everyone has been affected, and he'd be proud of himself."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall L. Lamberson

Sgt. Lamberson

Randall L. Lamberson first met his would-be wife when he was only 12. They began dating a few years later and eventually wed, their marriage lasting 15 years.

"He had a sense of humor, and he never lost it, even though it was a serious job," said his widow, Dana Lamberson.

Lamberson, 36, of Springfield, Mo., was killed April 10 in Balad of injuries received the day before from a roadside bomb in Ramadi. He was assigned to Fort Campbell.

Lamberson was a fun-loving youth who wanted to be a firefighter or police officer, recalled his father, Bill Lamberson. He loved baseball and animals, owning a dog, parakeets and gerbils.

Lamberson joined the Army in November 1988, serving in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Bill Lamberson was not surprised when his son excelled in the military.

"He was an excellent father, a perfect son and a professional soldier," he said. "He was 110 percent what he needed to be."

He also is survived by his daughter, Kelsi, 13, and son Evan, 10.

"He felt the future of Iraq lived in the children," his wife said. "Each time he looked in their eyes he saw hope for their future and their freedom."

Army Cpl. Shawn T. Lasswell Jr.

When Shawn T. Lasswell Jr. visited his stepmother before shipping out to Iraq, she delighted in the changes undergone by the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy whom she first met when he was 5.

Kim Lasswell said he had grown into a handsome, broad-shouldered young man, standing taller than 6 feet. "It was great seeing him again," she said. "He was all grown and completely different. He was a big boy."

Lasswell, 21, of Reno, Nev., was killed April 23 was killed in a roadside bombing northwest of Baghdad. He graduated high school in 2001 and was assigned to Fort Hood.

Lasswell grew up in Cottage Hills, Ill. He moved to Nevada with his mother, Cathy Zehren, when he was about 11. He had a bit of a wild streak, sometimes playing hooky from school to see a girl; but mostly he was a kid who loved remote control airplanes, skateboards and guitars, she said.

"He knew his job. He knew what he was doing," said his stepmother. "He talked to anybody and everybody, a real friendly boy."

He also is survived by his wife, another soldier at Fort Hood. The two apparently met in late November and were wed less than two weeks later. Lasswell left for Iraq the next week.

Army Pfc. Joseph I. Love-Fowler

Pfc. Love-Fowler

To say Joseph I. Love-Fowler was active would be putting it mildly. He played football, shot hoops, snowboarded, ice-skated and once rollerbladed from Alaska's North Pole to Fairbanks and back.

"He rollerbladed faster than I could bike," said Love-Fowler's sister, Brittany.

Love-Fowler, 22, of North Pole, Alaska, was killed April 9 in Balad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to Schofield Barracks.

His stepfather laughed at how Love-Fowler, at age 5, met a neighbor of the same age. Daniel Fowler caught the two 5-year-olds using bottle caps to scratch swirly designs in his newly painted car.

"After they got in trouble, they were friends for life," Fowler said.

After graduating from high school in 2003 with a 4.0 grade point average and working at a local concrete company for a short time, Love-Fowler enlisted in the Army in March 2003.

He liked playing guitar with his dad and shooting pool with his mom. He gave his younger sisters advice, and sometimes warnings, about boyfriends.

He also is survived by his mother, Patricia Smith, and stepmother, Nisha Harris-Fowler.

Marine Cpl. Eric R. Lueken

Cpl. Lueken

Eric R. Lueken and Ericka Merkel were childhood friends. Their relationship blossomed when he was in Afghanistan and she decided to e-mail him to see how he was doing.

"Our e-mails went from once a week to two to three times a week then to every day," she said. "By the time he came home, we were talking about dating."

Lueken sent flowers every month and thoughtful gifts, Merkel said.

"Once he joined the Marine Corps, all of his needs, they were second," she said. "Everybody else's needs were first. He never put himself first. Even in Iraq he said: 'I'm praying for you.' He was never praying for himself."

Lueken, 23, of Dubois, Ind., died April 22 during combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to Kaneohe Bay.

A 2001 high school graduate, Lueken was working at a local water plant when he joined the Marines in 2003. He served in Afghanistan from November 2004 to June 2005.

He also is survived by his parents, Glenn and Melinda.

"He always told me he wanted to be my superhero," said Merkel, adding that they were planning to marry when he returned. "It's hard because our future together is gone."

Marine Lance Cpl. Philip J. Martini

Philip J. Martini and his brother, Anthony, liked to compete because they were so close in age -- whether it was a pickup basketball game or how to ride bikes.

"I lost my wing man, my drinking brother," Anthony said. "I wanted more for him. He could have had so much after he came back."

Martini, 24, of Lansing, Ill., died April 8 of a gunshot wound in Anbar province. He graduated high school in 2000, was assigned to Camp Pendleton and was on his second tour.

His mother, Laura Martini, said that as a boy Phil showed no fear as he jumped into an ice-cold swimming pool. And as a man he jumped into life with that same enthusiasm and courage, she said.

The importance of family can be seen in what Phil Martini wrote on his Web site: "My hero would have to be my mother. As corny as that sounds. She has been the only one there for me whenever I need her. Even though she had her own stuff to deal with. There seriously no better person I know."

He also is survived by his father, Philip S. Martini.

"He was social, and he never really spent much time by himself," said James Martini, his eldest brother. "He wanted to be around friends and family."