Army Sgt. Floyd G. Knighten Jr.

Floyd G. Knighten Jr. and his son served in Iraq in the same transportation company. Knighten repaired the trucks, and his son, Spc. Floyd G. Knighten III, drove them.

When their National Guard company headed to Iraq from Fort Polk, most of them flew but the senior Knighten traveled by ship with the equipment.

"He was really looking forward to that because he was in the Navy originally," said his niece, Carma Polk Hardy.

The 55-year-old Knighten, of Olla, La., died Aug. 9, most likely of heat-related causes, while traveling in a convoy in Iraq.

He had been in the military since high school, first with the Navy and later joining the National Guard, eventually full time.

Army Spc. James I. Lambert II

Spc. Lambert

Both soldiers in the Army, James and Jacqueline Lambert had married hastily at the Cumberland County, N.C., courthouse in November. They planned to renew their vows and throw a party when they returned from the Middle East.

She returned in May to their home in Fayetteville, N.C., outside Fort Bragg. Finally, she got the news that her husband would be heading home soon from Iraq.

But on July 31, less than two weeks before he was due to join her, her 22-year-old husband was killed in Baghdad when he was struck by a stray bullet that the Pentagon said may have been fired in some kind of celebration.

Lambert had planned to enroll in college when he left the military, his brother, Karl Lambert, said in their hometown of Kenbridge, Va.

"He loved attention. He could walk into a room, meet a stranger and make him his best friend," Karl Lambert said. "He was always looking for something interesting to do."

Army Spc. Farao K. Letufuga

Farao K. Letufuga left the Pacific island of American Samoa to join the Army on the eve of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and was based at Fort Campbell when he was sent to Iraq. His mother last spoke with him on July 24.

"I told him to always remember God and always pray during his tour of duty," said Siniva Letufuga.

The 20-year-old Letufuga died Aug. 5 when he fell from the roof of a building while on guard duty in Mosul, Iraq.

Letufuga was the first Samoan to die in Iraq. Three of his fellow soldiers accompanied his body home, along with Eni Faleomavaega, American Samoa's congressional delegate, and another Samoan, Command Sgt. Maj. Iuniasolua Savusa of the 101st.

Army Spc. Duane E. Longstreth

Duane E. Longstreth and his mother enlisted in the Army together, motivated by the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He became a combat engineer at Fort Bragg, and she became a communications specialist in Germany.

"He was an unbelievably outstanding child," his mother, Jennifer West, said. "I think, like me, he joined because he was very aware of what was right and what was wrong."

The 19-year-old Longstreth died Aug. 7 of an apparent accidental gunshot wound while serving in Iraq.

"My sentiments are still the same," his mother said. "We're in Iraq to do a necessary job. We fully know that."

Longstreth, a native of Tacoma, Wash., was sent to Lincoln's Challenge Academy, a military-style program run by the Illinois National Guard for at-risk youth. He enlisted in the Army after graduation, five months before he turned 18.

Army Staff Sgt. David L. Loyd

David L. Loyd was called up for deployment to the Middle East in February but returned home for 10 days this spring because his home in Jackson, Tenn., was damaged by a tornado.

When it came time for his return to Kuwait, he was eager to get back to serving his country, his wife, Pamela, said.

"He wouldn't have had it any other way," she said.

A member of the Tennessee National Guard, the 44-year-old Loyd died Aug. 5 of a heart attack in Kuwait. He is also survived by two sons.

Family members say Loyd enjoyed working as a truck mechanic and spent his spare time riding his Harley Davidson and tinkering with cars.

"But most of all he loved serving his country," said his mother-in-law, Bonnie Flinn, of Terre Haute, Ind., where the Loyds both grew up.

Army Pfc. Vorn J. Mack

Vorn J. Mack was roughly 5-foot-3 and 115 pounds when Sgt. Andre Boler saw him for the first time at Fort Carson in March. "I thought he was someone's little brother, he was so young and little," Boler said.

But that made no difference: "He was a great soldier."

Mack would often cheer up soldiers with a cigarette or a story, Boler said.

The 19-year-old Mack drowned Aug. 23 near the Hadithah Dam in Iraq. The computer analyst was from Orangeburg, S.C.

Mack began basic training a month after graduation from high school in 2002, his aunt Brinder Hicks said. He was one of five children, and one sister is in the Army in Kuwait.

"He was a little man with a big heart," Hicks said.

Army Sgt. Daniel K. Methvin

Daniel K. Methvin wanted to help guard a hospital in Iraq because of his love of children, and the troops sometimes played with the young children, throwing a football around.

Methvin, 22, of Belton, Texas, and two other Fort Hood soldiers were killed July 26 when a grenade was thrown from the window of the hospital.

Michelle Methvin says she fell in love with her husband in the 7th grade. She got up the nerve to call him when she was 16.

"It's been Daniel nonstop since then," she said.

The couple have a 2-year-old son, Elijah Scott.

"He was proud to be a Ranger. But he was first and foremost a family man," said his father, George Methvin.

Army Capt. Leif E. Nott

Growing up with an Army dad, Leif E. Nott was born in Italy, raised in Europe and graduated from high school in Germany -- and he spoke at least five languages.

When it was time for college, he came back to the United States to continue the family's military tradition, enrolling at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Nott, 24, based at Fort Hood, died July 30 of wounds received from hostile fire in Belaruz, Iraq.

Family members said Nott was known for his "can do" attitude, and his latest assignment was troop executive officer, the right-hand man for the troop commander.

Nott had met his wife, Melanie, in a Bible study class while at his previous post, the Army's tanker training headquarters at Fort Knox.

Army Pfc. Daniel R. Parker

Daniel Parker followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather when he enlisted in the Army last year, believing that military service was not just a family tradition but a public obligation.

"He was proud to be in the Army and proud to be serving his country," said his father, Billy Parker.

The 18-year-old soldier from Lake Elsinore, Calif., died in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Aug. 12 after being thrown from his vehicle when the driver swerved to avoid hitting an Iraqi civilian vehicle. He was stationed at Fort Campbell.

Parker was active in church youth programs and coached and refereed hockey before he joined the Army after high school.

"He had strength of character," his father said. "He believed dedication and hard work equals success."

Army Staff Sgt. David S. Perry

As a prison guard at Wasco State Prison in California, David S. Perry was respected not only by his colleagues but by inmates as well, his supervisor said.

"He was consistent. He utilized his military ability to be very fair but firm with the inmates and very supportive with the staff," said Lt. Troy Ojeda said.

A military policeman, Perry, 36, of Bakersfield, was killed in Baqouba, Iraq, on Aug. 10 when a package dropped off at police headquarters exploded. He had been in Iraq since January.

Perry is survived by a wife and three children -- ages 1, 4 and 6.

"He was a great person. He was goal-oriented. He wanted the best for the department, the best for the military and the best for his family," Ojeda said.

Army Pfc. Brandon Ramsey

Brandon Ramsey joined the Illinois National Guard for the education perks, not to fight a war. But the 21-year-old answered the call to duty without fear, his older brother said.

"As far as leaving, there was no way out of it," said Vaughn Ramsey. "(Brandon) was never one to back away from a challenge."

Brandon Ramsey died Aug. 8 in Tallil, Iraq, when his vehicle rolled over while chasing a suspicious vehicle.

After getting word of his death, Ramsey's large extended family gathered at his home in Calumet City, Ill., just like they often did for his calls from Iraq. His family said he was a talented artist who had become a part-time soldier to pay for a planned college education.

"He told us he was safe. He never gave us details," Vaughn Ramsey said. "He didn't want us to worry."

Army Spc. Stephen M. Scott

Stephen M. Scott and his wife went to high school together in Lawton, Okla., and both joined the military. They had recently celebrated their first anniversary.

"We talked about what we would do if something ever happened to one of us," said Marie Scott, 19. "I decided I would become a nun. There's just no other guy who can compete with him. He's perfect."

The 21-year-old Scott died Aug. 23 near Al Fallujah, Iraq, of a gunshot wound in a non-combat incident. His death was under investigation.

Scott was a cook and stationed at Fort Carson.

Army Sgt. Leonard D. Simmons

Leonard D. Simmons joined the Army in 1990 and was a Gulf War veteran.

Simmons, 33, died Aug. 6 in Mosul, Iraq. Army officials told his family he suffered a heat-related seizure.

He was based at Fort Campbell and is survived by his wife, Rosemarie Duran Simmons, and three stepchildren of Clarksville, Tenn.

Simmons grew up in New Bern, N.C., and attended Craven Community College.

A family member said Simmons was a chemical operations specialist.

Army Staff Sgt. Taft V. Williams

When Taft V. Williams' mother worried about his deployment to Iraq, he eased her fears with stories about returning safely home after serving in Kuwait and Bosnia.

"He felt as though it was his job," Sylvin Williams said. "As a mother, no, I didn't care for him to go."

Williams, 29, of New Orleans, was killed Aug. 12 when his vehicle in a convoy hit an explosive devise. A 10-year Army veteran, he was stationed at Fort Carson.

Spc. Keenan Beacham, who served with Williams for six years, remembered playfully wrestling with him and talking about cars.

"His smile and laugh kept many of us going," Beacham said.

Williams' wife, Ethelmay, is also a soldier and was in Iraq. They had a son, 1-year-old Jason, and Williams also had a daughter.

Army Sgt. Steven W. White

Steven White was already a nine-year Army veteran when he signed up for six more years, just before he headed to Iraq.

Based at Fort Hood, he liked to visit with family in the east Texas town of Fruitvale.

"He would always want to come home and visit with classmates and see his family," said his wife, Laniece White. "He was a simple man. It didn't take much to please him."

White, 29, was killed Aug. 13 when his armored troop carrier hit an anti-tank mine just outside Tikrit, Iraq. He was a mechanic and had been in Iraq for about four months.

He is also survived by four children, ages 16 months to 12 years.