Army Sgt. Evan Asa Ashcraft

Evan Asa Ashcraft believed in his mission in Iraq, and hoped to become a police officer when he returned home. It was part of what he was all about.

"He was a person who really wanted to help other people, to protect them," said his wife, Ashley Ashcraft.

Ashcraft, 24, of Oak Grove, Ky., was one of three 101st Airborne soldiers killed July 24 when their convoy was attacked. He was stationed at Fort Campbell.

"He absolutely wanted to be there," said his father, Asa Ashcraft. "In his last letter, he said, 'Dad, I've seen an awful lot of stuff. We'll talk about it when I get back."'

Ashcraft, a native of California's San Fernando Valley, planned to join the Los Angeles Police Department upon his scheduled January discharge from the Army. He especially aspired to the SWAT team.

"And he would have made it, too," his father said. "He set goals and achieved them."

Army Spc. Jonathan P. Barnes

Jonathan P. Barnes wanted what was best for his family, and figured the military was the best way to accomplish that. He took law enforcement classes in the service and hoped to eventually become a state trooper.

"He wanted to find a way to better his education and also support his family better," said his sister, Kim Riley. "He chose to join the military. He thought that way, not only would he have housing for them but that he would be a better provider."

Barnes, 21, of Coweta, Okla, died July 26 in a grenade attack while guarding a hospital in Iraq. He was based at Fort Hood, and is survived by his wife, Amanda, and 2-year-old daughter.

"He wrote several letters and always said there was nothing to worry about," Riley said. "He asked every time about his house because we were to take care of the grass and the bills. And he always asked about family."

Army Spc. Joel L. Bertoldie

Joel L. Bertoldie sent an e-mail to his family from Iraq, talking about how much he looked forward to coming home. "He missed his family," said his mother, Debi.

Hours after sending that note, Bertoldie died -- killed July 18 when a bomb detonated beneath his vehicle. The 20-year-old from Independence, Mo., was stationed at Fort Stewart.

Bertoldie had made good grades in high school and wanted to become a marine biologist, said his grandmother, Judy Hampshire. She remembers him as a bright, outgoing kid who loved riding self-propelled skis and teasing his grandparents over why his favorite team -- the Dallas Cowboys -- was so much better than the Kansas City Chiefs.

"He was just pretty happy-go-lucky. If he wanted to do something, he did it. He didn't hold back." said Debi Bertoldie.

He is survived by a 10-month-old son, Jesse.

Army Cpl. Mark A. Bibby

Cpl. Bibby

Mark A. Bibby was an Army Reservist whose civil affairs battalion was helping to restore order in Iraq. He called his parents recently to talk about a fishing trip planned for his return home.

"He kept telling me, 'Dad, I'm not in harm's way; we're just out there helping civilians,"' Eustace Bibby said.

Bibby, 25, of Watha, N.C., was killed July 21 when a roadside bomb exploded as his convoy passed through en route to a water treatment facility.

Bibby served four years of active duty in the Army, then left for college but stayed in the reserves. He was a sophomore transportation major at North Carolina A&T State University.

Cathy Cornelius, an administrative assistant at the university, said she had talked with Bibby about his deployment to Iraq.

"He said to me, 'Mrs. Cornelius, don't worry about me. I would rather go because I have the experience,"' she said.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Craig A. Boling

Sgt. 1st Class Boling

Before he was deployed to the Middle East, Craig A. Boling paid a florist to send his wife a bouquet of flowers every month he was gone. Family and friends said he had always been that way.

"There's not a selfish bone in his body," said Tony Lubarsky, Boling's brother-in-law. "He was an awesome guy."

Boling, 38, of Elkhart, Ind., collapsed and died July 8 while eating with his unit in Kuwait.

A National Guard platoon sergeant with no history of health problems, Boling completed 20 years in the reserves in February and expected to retire from the military. But that was put on hold until after the war.

Family members had already bought fireworks and American flags to line the streets when he returned -- one flag for every day he was gone.

"He said to plan a vacation -- two weeks, even if we had to take the kids out of school," said his wife, Tania. "He was looking forward to a break and really missed us."

Marine Cpl. Travis J. Bradach-Nall

Travis J. Bradach-Nall had been scheduled to leave Iraq shortly after major combat ended on May 1. He planned to go to college and learn to fly a helicopter. But when he heard more help was needed, he volunteered to stay an extra three months.

The platoon wasn't surprised by his decision, said Cpl. Jose Hernandez: "He would always step in and take his spot."

Bradach-Nall, 21, of Portland, Ore., died July 2 in an explosion during a mine-clearing operation. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Family and friends remembered Bradach-Nall as a fun-loving, courageous man with a love for music and a sense of adventure. In high school, he wrestled, played drums and sang in the choir. He had a large collection of tattoos, including one depicting a passage about shedding blood for brothers.

"He was always smiling," uncle Sam Bradach said. "He had that sense of joy in whatever he did."

Army Capt. Joshua T. Byers

Capt. Byers

In Joshua T. Byers' last letter to his wife, he talked about the chicken races his unit held to celebrate July 4.

"It was a good Fourth of July, a good time for soldiers. It was as good as it could be for them," Kim Byers said.

"He mentioned God's plan is always perfect. He said, 'There is a reason we are going through what we are going through now. We will know that plan later."'

Byers, 29, died July 23 when his convoy was attacked in Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Carson.

Byers was the son of Baptist missionaries, and was a Southern Baptist lay leader himself. He also was the older brother of Milam and Jared Byers, lead guitarist and drummer, respectively, for the Christian rock band Bleach.

"His whole life, this was all he wanted to do," Milam said of his brother's military career. "He worked hard to get into West Point, and when he was at West Point he worked hard to be the best there."

Army Capt. Paul J. Cassidy

Capt. Cassidy

Paul J. Cassidy had made a life out of helping people in troubled regions. His mission to Iraq with the Army Reserves was similar to previous duties in Kosovo, Bosnia and Kuwait, where he distributed food and blankets and helped reconstruct power grids, improve phone lines, re-establish farms, provide water and repair houses.

"He was basically in there to help people, doing humanitarian deeds, the nice things," said Meridian Township, Mich., clerk Mary Helmbrecht.

Cassidy, 36, of Laingsburg, Mich., died July 13 as a result of non-combat injuries in Iraq.

Helmbrecht said Cassidy's involvement with the humanitarian aspects of war and his dedication to his work reflected his personality.

"He had an outstanding dry wit," she said. "He was just an incredibly dedicated, detail-oriented, phenomenal employee."

Army Pfc. John Marshall Cheatham

Pfc. Cheatham

When John Marshall Cheatham's father died in an accident three years ago, the teenager took on responsibilities as head of the family.

"He cared for his sister deeply, always taking care of her," said his mother, Dr. Barbara Porchia of Camden, Ark. The added obligations, she said, prompted her son to join the Army Reserves.

"He was a Cheatham man, and through God, he could do anything possible. That was his motto," his mother said. "And he lived by it."

Cheatham, 19, died July 26 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq.

In high school, Cheatham played trumpet in the marching band and played soccer. He also loved animals, and Porchia said he enrolled in college with an interest in veterinarian medicine and computers.

He had completed just two weeks of classes before the military activated him.

Army Spc. Brett T. Christian

Spc. Christian

In letters from Iraq, Brett T. Christian praised the Kurdish and Iraqi people and talked about the tough battle conditions. His last letter was to his grandparents, Thomas and Eileen Christian of Sun City, Fla.

"I should be returning in September when I look forward to my first real hamburger in six months," he wrote. "Please give my love and I hope to see you some day soon."

Christian, 27, of North Royalton, Ohio, and stationed at Fort Campbell, was killed early on July 23 when his convoy came under attack by rocket-propelled grenades. In Ohio, it was still July 22 -- his mother's 47th birthday.

Tess Christian said her son always wanted to be a soldier and enlisted before finishing high school. In the Army, he was trained as a sniper and served a year in Korea.

"My son was such an angel," said Christian, a single mother of three sons. "They say the eyes are the windows of the soul. His eyes swelled with emotion. They were bright and welcoming."

Army 1st Sgt. Christopher D. Coffin

Sgt. Coffin

Christopher D. Coffin had planned to retire from the Army Reserves, wanting to spend more time with his wife, Betsy, in Kennebunk, Maine.

"He made a commitment to my sister to spend their older years together and not to put himself in jeopardy, where there'd be any chance she'd have to suffer through what she's going through now," said his sister, Candy Barr Heimbach.

But that plan was put on hold because of the war.

Coffin, 51, died July 1 in Iraq in a vehicle accident, possibly while under attack.

Major Learie H. George remembered Coffin talking about his wife: "He called her every chance he got."

Heimbach described her brother-in-law as devoted to his wife, family, friends and country.

"He was a man committed to the ideals and values of this country," she said. "If anyone exemplified the values and the understanding of the need to defend our values, it was Chris."