Army Pfc. Jacob S. Fletcher

Growing up in Bay Shore, N.Y., Jacob S. Fletcher dreamed of serving his country.

"He always wanted to be a soldier," said his former girlfriend, Kristi Ruppert. "He always had that kind of passion in him. And he wanted to be that kind of man."

The death of a friend in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks sealed the decision. He enlisted in the Army, becoming one of the first soldiers to parachute into Iraq.

Fletcher, 28, died Nov. 13 when explosives struck a bus he was on in Iraq. He was based in Camp Ederle, Italy.

"He really believed he was making a difference in Iraq," said Jean DeBrant, a family friend. "He felt that he was helping the women and children and that meant very much to him. It sustained him."

He is survived by his mother, Dorine Kenney, and father, Marlowe Fletcher.

Army Pvt. Kurt Frosheiser

Kurt Frosheiser had a million-dollar smile, a knack with the guitar and a soft touch.

In e-mails from Iraq he took pains to reassure family in Des Moines, Iowa, that "they don't shoot at us much."

Frosheiser, 22, died Nov. 8 after the Humvee he was riding in hit a homemade bomb near Baghdad. He had only been in Iraq for two weeks. He is survived by his father, Chris Frosheiser, and mother, Jeanie Hudson-Holton.

Before joining the Army in April, Frosheiser had studied carpentry at a community college. He spoke of wanting to help the Iraqi people. Chris Frosheiser said his son knew joining the Army would be dangerous, but he wanted to so something important with his life.

"Before he left, he told us all to live our lives, to appreciate everything we have," he said. "He lived by the Army oath and values. That was Kurt. He lived that through and through."

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Cornell W. Gilmore

Cornell W. Gilmore had achieved stature as sergeant major of the JAG Corps and chief adviser to the judge advocate general for enlisted issues, but friends said his real passion was working with ordinary soldiers.

"He cared desperately about taking care of soldiers, not only soldiers in the JAG Corps, but the ability of JAG to take care of all military members," said Jack Nevin, a judge and Army Reserve colonel who had worked with Gilmore.

"He died doing what he liked doing best, which was going out in field and meeting with our young soldiers."

Gilmore, 45, was killed Nov. 7 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was riding crashed near Tikrit, Iraq. He was assigned to the Pentagon and lived in Stafford, Va., with his wife, Donna Gilmore. Their two children attend college.

"He was a dynamic leader, an inspirational leader," Nevin said.

Gilmore served in the JAG Corps, which provides judges and lawyers for the Army's military courts, throughout his 22-year career. He was also a minister of music at Shiloh Christian Church in Stafford.

Army Spc. David J. Goldberg

Spc. Goldberg

David J. Goldberg was married for only three days before he left for Iraq.

He had met Sarah South in January while shopping at a Wal-Mart where she worked. They were married in February.

"Thank God for the telephone," said his mother, Dolly Goldberg. "They talked a lot and grew quite close. She's devastated."

Goldberg, 20, of Layton, Utah, was killed Nov. 26 in a non-combat accident in Qayyarah, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Carson.

Goldberg entered the Army in 2001 and served in Bosnia before he was discharged this year. He joined the Reserves after his discharge.

"I asked him if he was scared, and he said, 'I can handle it.' He was very good with his weapon and was very accurate," his brother Kevin Goldberg said.

Army Pfc. Rick Hafer

Pfc. Hafer

Rick Hafer's love for his two half-sisters led him to join the Army, family members said

"His sisters were his whole life," said Sherry Barclay, his former stepmother, who raised him for much of his childhood. "He said when he left that he wanted to keep our home ground safe for them to live in."

The 21-year-old was killed Nov. 15 when two Black Hawk helicopters collided in Iraq. He lived in Nitro, W.Va., and was based at Fort Campbell. He is survived by his father, Richard Hafer.

At 6 feet 5 inches and 275 pounds, Hafer was known for his "commanding presence," First Sgt. Perry Bunn said.

Hafer was a star defensive lineman in his Laurel Valley, Pa., high school, but poor grades kept him from entering college to play football. He hoped joining the Army would enable him to pursue his college football dream.

"He wanted to prove to everybody that he could be somebody," Barclay said.

Army Sgt. Warren S. Hansen

Sgt. Hansen

Warren S. Hansen earned a reputation for heroism even before his military service, receiving a medal for saving a man from drowning when he was just 15.

"He's very handsome and very decorated. He has numerous awards," said the Rev. Vilas Mazemke, his pastor. "He was a very good troop, one of high morale."

Hansen, 36, of Clintonville, Wis., died Nov. 15 when two Black Hawk helicopters collided in Iraq. He was assigned to Fort Campbell, and is survived by his brother.

The 17-year veteran had always wanted to serve in the military, following a family tradition. His father died while serving, and his stepfather was a Marine.

"That's what he wanted to be ever since he was a little guy," Mazemke said.

Hansen, who had served in Desert Storm and in Bosnia, wrote Mazemke an e-mail about the recent deaths of three friends in Iraq. "It's gotten personal, the one thing I hoped wouldn't happen," Mazemke recalled Hansen wrote.

Army Pfc. Sheldon Hawk Eagle

Pfc. Hawk Eagle

With the beat of drums, the chant of traditional songs and a march through town, members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe paid tribute to a hometown soldier, Sheldon Hawk Eagle.

More than 1,000 people gathered in a high school gynmansium in Eagle Butte, S.D., to honor Hawk Eagle, who was killed Nov. 15 when two Army helicopters collided in Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell.

His Lakota name was Wanbli Ohitika, or Brave Eagle.

"He's a hero," said Harold Frazier, the tribal chairman. "He defended our country and protected our freedom."

Hawk Eagle, 21, joined the Army while he visiting his sister in North Dakota and dreamed of becoming an elite Army Ranger, his cousin said.

Tom Hawk Eagle said his cousin was humble and quiet but loosened up around family and friends. "He was fun," said Tom Hawk Eagle, adding that the two men grew up calling each other brothers.

He said Hawk Eagle was a descendant of the Lakota leader Crazy Horse who helped defeat Lt. Col. George Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Survivors include his sister, Frankie Hawk Eagle.

Army Pfc. Damian L. Heidelberg

In their last conversation before Damian L. Heidelberg left for Iraq, his childhood friend Jerry Jones Jr. told him not to go and get himself killed.

"He just told me that he was trying to make something of himself," Jones said. "He was trying to make it for his family and his baby."

The 21-year-old administrative specialist from Shubuta, Miss., was killed Nov. 15 when two Black Hawk helicopters collided in Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell.

Heidelberg, a former choir member and church usher, was "a wonderful young man, sweet and mild-mannered," said Phyllis Heidelberg, his aunt. "He was slow to speak, loved to go to church and always had a big smile."

Jones said the two were inseparable as children. "That was my boy," Jones said of his life-long friend. "If he got in trouble, I got in trouble. We were always in it together."

Heidelberg is survived by his father, Grady Jones, his mother, Deborah Heidelberg, and a 2-year-old daughter, Stacie.

Army Spc. Craig S. Ivory

It wasn't until he became a medic that Craig S. Ivory found his niche.

"Initially when he went into the Army, they made him a mechanic, which he hated," said his father, Patrick J. Ivory. "He re-enlisted to become a medic."

The 26-year-old from Port Matilda, Pa., died Aug. 17 after suffering a stroke while serving in Iraq. He was based in Vicenza, Italy.

Although he was not in a combat unit, Craig Ivory often was among the first medical responders when soldiers were injured in combat. He hoped to become a physician assistant after completing his service, his father said.

As a high school student, Craig Ivory lettered in football and track and field and played clarinet and bass clarinet in the school's concert and symphonic bands. He joined the Army in January 1997 and re-enlisted twice.

Army Spc. Marlon P. Jackson

Marlon P. Jackson was a quiet young man of simple pleasures: basketball, Chinese food and Caribbean music. From Iraq, he asked family to send music magazines and sports clippings. And he never forgot to say thank you.

"He always thanked me for everything I did. He was so appreciative," said Vanessa Selby, his self-described stepmother.

Jackson, 25, of Jersey City, N.J., was killed Nov. 11 in a roadside bombing near Baghdad. He was stationed in Vilseck, Germany. He is survived by his mother, Lois La Grenade, and father, Leighton Jackson.

Before joining the Army in 1999, Jamaica-born Jackson attended community college. He had become a big brother to Selby's son Khabir, 22, and tutored him in his free time.

"He was just becoming a young man, trying to be responsible," Selby said.

Army Pfc. Rayshawn S. Johnson

The military changed Rayshawn Johnson, on the inside and on the outside.

"He used dress like he was born on the street, but when he came back, he was in his uniform," said his brother, Michael Johnson, 16.

"He called once at the airport and he said the respect he got from people made him feel so good," his foster mother, Deborah Wynter, recalled. "He said they were coming up to him and saying 'God bless you,' 'Good luck,' ... 'We're proud of you."'

Johnson, 20, was killed when his vehicle hit a land mine in Tikrit on Nov. 3. He was based at Fort Hood.

Johnson attended high school in Brooklyn, N.Y. joined the Army in February and went to Iraq in June.

"I never thought it would be like this," said Patty Johnson, his biological mother. "It makes me so proud that people love him. I always wanted him to be a good person at heart, and actually it came true for me."

Army Chief Warrant Officer Kyran E. Kennedy

Kyran E. Kennedy grew up in Boston but fell in love with living in the Kentucky countryside.

He and his wife bought a farm, kept a variety of animals, managed an ambitious beekeeping operation, and tended a garden and an orchard. "He absolutely loved this place. We were going to retire in Kentucky," Kathy Kennedy said.

Kennedy, 43, was killed Nov. 7 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was riding crashed near Tikrit, Iraq. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and lived in Hopkinsville, Ky.

Kathy Kennedy said her husband made a dulcimer that he carried to Iraq and was teaching himself to play. "He was a wonderful woodworker," she said.

The instrument was important to him and provided a sense of peace in the midst of the war, she said.

Survivors include his children: Christopher, 11; Katie, 9; and Kevin, 3.

Army Staff Sgt. Morgan D. Kennon

Sgt. Kennon

Morgan D. Kennon was tall and studious and doted on his mother.

"He was a serious-minded youngster who was devoted to fulfilling his mother's wishes," recalled his father, Morgan Kennon. "If his mother needed anything, instead of being out in a park playing basketball, it was his joy to go out and do whatever he had to do to help her."

Kennon, 23, was killed Nov. 7 when his convoy was attacked while guarding a bank in Mosul, Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell.

Kennon grew up in Memphis and joined the Army straight out of high school to earn money for college. He hoped one day to become a lawyer.

Though his family knew young Kennon was doing a dangerous job, his death still came as a shock, his father said.

"In your mind's eye, it is not going to happen to you," he said. "You have a level of comfort, and that is how I felt about him, that no matter where he goes, he will be safe.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Erik C. Kesterson

Erik C. Kesterson had already completed an eight-year tour of duty with the Marines when the Sept. 11 attacks compelled him to sign on with the Army.

"He was very patriotic and believed in this country. He's a good man," said his father, Clayton Kesterson.

Kesterson, 29, was killed Nov. 15 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting collided with another helicopter in Iraq. He grew up mostly in Vernonia, Ore., and was stationed at Fort Campbell.

M.J. Kesterson said her son inspired confidence. "This was a bright, ready-to-go young guy," she said. "I didn't have a thought this would go badly."

As a Marine, Kesterson pulled seven men from a burning helicopter that had crashed. He was awarded the Marine Corps Medal of Heroism.

One of his hobbies was building full-size replicas of World War I fighter planes. Five of the planes he built with his father have been cleared to fly by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Army Spc. Josph L. Lister

Spc. Lister

At 22, it seemed Josph L. Lister had finally found his way. He had a wife and an infant son, and those who knew him said he'd become more mature and confident and was proud of his military service.

"Everything was really clicking for him," said the Rev. Jim Landrum, pastor at the church where Lister was baptized in 1999.

Lister, of Pleasanton, Kan., died Nov. 20 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when the convoy in which he was traveling was hit by a homemade bomb. He was based at Fort Riley.

Lister could be headstrong as a teenager, Landrum said, but the Army helped give him direction.

"He seemed like a lost kid, and the military is a family, and you are well taken care of in the military," said John Heidrick, who taught Lister in high school.

Lister was deeply religious and had a large tattoo of a cross on his back, Landrum said. "Joe had such a strong faith, he had no question about where he would spend eternity," he said.