Army Capt. James A. Shull

Capt. Shull

James Shull was an unusual young man: as a teenager, he was deemed trustworthy enough to drive a borrowed Porsche on prom night.

"He was the hardest worker I've ever seen," said Ray Linford, a neighbor and the owner of the Porsche in question. "I used to tell him to take it easy, he was working so hard."

Shull, 32, died in Baghdad Nov. 17 of a non-hostile gunshot wound.

He graduated from Washington State University with a degree in criminal justice before enlisting in the Army in 1996. He served in Kuwait and Korea, and was most recently based at Fort Riley.

He was a passionate WSU Cougar fan. His wife even sent a VCR to Iraq so that he could watch taped Cougar football games, along with home movies of his kids.

"James was such a loving person," said his brother, Brad Shull. "He wanted to create good in this world and really cared about all people."

Survivors include his wife, Alice, and children: Ashley, 7, Jacob, 5, and Alisa, 1.

Army Spc. Aaron J. Sissel

Aaron J. Sissel had to get his mother's permission to enlist in the National Guard at age 17, just as he was beginning his senior year of high school.

"All his friends were in," his mother, Jo Sissel, said.

Sissel, 22, of Tipton, Iowa, was killed Nov. 29 when his cargo truck was ambushed in Haditha, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Carson, and is survived by his mother and his father, Kirk Sissel.

Sissel was riding with one of his high school classmates when he died. Spc. Joe A. Gottschalk, another 1998 graduate, survived the attack.

Jo Sissel said that her son was doing what he loved and felt he had a job to do.

"He would have been upset had he not been able to go (to Iraq)," she said.

Army Cpl. Darrell Smith

When Darrell Smith's flight back to Iraq was moved up at the last minute, his goodbyes with his family were rushed. It made leaving behind his wife and three children even more difficult, his father said.

"He didn't want to go back but he knew he had to because it was his duty and his job." Stan Smith said.

The 28-year-old National Guardsman, from Otwell, Ind., died Nov. 23 when his Humvee overturned into a canal south of Baghdad. He was based in Washington, Ind.

Darrell Smith was "a really good soldier with good leadership skills and generally a good guy," said fellow guardsman First Sgt. Charles Selby. "He was one of those people who were always in a good mood."

Smith joined the National Guard when he was 17, and he would often be working on guard-related projects, family members said. "He was proud of it," Bruce Smith said of his brother. "I was really proud of him, too."

He is survived by his wife, Amy, and children Brieanna, 9; Hannah, 5; and Andrew, 3.

Army Capt. Benedict J. Smith

Capt. Smith

Moments before he took off in a Black Hawk helicopter, Benedict J. Smith wrote in an e-mail to his family that he was glad his day's assignment required him to fly. "That will be good for me to get out of the office for a day," he wrote.

"He once told mom that he knew he could be killed but that, if he died in the helicopter, he would be happy," said Mary Sims, his sister.

Smith, 29, a native of Monroe City, Mo., died Nov. 7 when the helicopter crashed near Tikrit, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Campbell.

Smith married his wife, Maggie, also a military pilot serving in Iraq, last December. "He and his wife tried to see each other as often as possible while serving in Iraq," Sims said. "His faith was important to him; that has helped him during his time over there."

Smith joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1993. He later attended West Point and flight school.

"Ben has always been one to go for a challenge," Sims said.

Army Spc. John R. Sullivan

Spc. Sullivan

John R. Sullivan re-enlisted in the Army so his wife could afford to stay home with their new twins. The twins he never met.

His wife, Katrina, was busy caring for their 2-month-old twins when she got the news: Her 26-year-old husband was killed Nov. 15 when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in Iraq.

Sullivan saw his sons briefly on a Web camera and his wife also sent him a recording of their voices. "But it's not the same," she said. "It doesn't replace holding them."

Sullivan, who was born in Countryside, Ill., and stationed at Fort Campbell, met his wife when he was stationed at Fort Lewis several years ago. She said she first fell in love with his smile.

"He never complains; he has an awesome sense of humor," she said. "He was just the kind of man you were lucky to know."

Sullivan is also survived by a 10-year-old stepdaughter, Jade Whitmer-Steele.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Sharon T. Swartworth

Sharon T. Swartworth moved out of her Pentagon office shortly before it was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks. She felt lucky to survive, her father said.

"She told me the nose of the plane was in her office," Bernard Mayo said.

The 43-year-old lead adviser to the Army's judge advocate general was killed Nov. 7 when the Black Hawk helicopter she was riding crashed near Tikrit, Iraq. She was assigned to the Pentagon and had recently moved her family to Mililani, Hawaii.

Swartworth was planning to retire there with her husband and 8-year-old son after her trip to Iraq. "This was going to be Sharon's last hurrah," Mayo said. "They were going to live happily ever after."

Neighbors in Alexandria, Va., remembered the 26-year Army veteran and avid runner as a friendly and giving woman who helped organize and host neighborhood events. "She was a very generous person, with her time and with her home," said friend and neighbor Eileen Houser.

Army Sgt. Thomas J. Sweet II

When Thomas J. Sweet II died on Thanksgiving Day, he had just received word that he was being promoted to sergeant, his mother said.

"I was so proud of him," Liz Sweet said. "I loved him dearly for his compassion. He definitely won't be nominated for sainthood, but he was a compassionate, loving person."

The 23-year-old soldier from Bismarck, N.D., died Nov. 27 in his barracks from a gunshot wound to the head. The Army said investigators were trying to determine whether the gun went off accidentally or whether Sweet killed himself.

"He was a good guy, quiet, he worked pretty hard," said Sgt. Dennis Robinson, who served alongside Sweet in Iraq. "He would make jokes about the hard times, everyday stress. He would make it fun."

Army Sgt. Nicholas A. Tomko

For Nicholas A. Tomko, the Army Reserve was the ticket to a new career in law enforcement. The armored car driver joined three years ago, served six months in Bosnia, and, after two months off, went with his unit to Iraq.

Tomko, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died Nov. 9 in Baghdad when the Humvee he was riding in was attacked with mortar and small-arms fire.

"He was a great kid, brave as hell, he didn't take no chances, he knew his stuff," said his father, Jack Tomko, who served in the Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970.

Father and son didn't talk about the war or conditions in Iraq. "I told him you don't tell me what is going on, you tell me when you get home," Jack Tomko said. His son was due home at the end of December.

The day before he was killed, he had spoken on the telephone with Jessica Baillie, his fiance and the mother of their 2-year-old son, Ethan.

"I'm going to make sure than Ethan knows that his dad is a hero ... that he went over there to fight for his country," Baillie said.

Army Spc. Eugene A. Uhl III

Spc. Uhl

Eugene Uhl followed his father and grandfather into the military. His father fought in Vietnam, and his grandfather served in World War II and the Korean War.

"He was proud to be there (in Iraq), proud to be defending the country," his mother, Joan Uhl said.

The 21-year-old soldier from Amherst, Wis., was among 17 killed when two Black Hawk helicopters collided in Iraq on Nov. 15. He was based at Fort Campbell, and was engaged to be married in June.

"He was serious, but yet he was very outgoing," his mother said. "He was sometimes a prankster, very caring and full of life."

His mother said Uhl wrote a letter recently that only his father was allowed to read.

"It was just he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen," his mother said.

Army Staff Sgt. Mark D. Vasquez

A mischievous practical joker who always had a smile, Mark D. Vasquez thrived after following his father and cousin into the Army in 1993.

"This was something Mark liked," said his father, Mike Vasquez. "It was the guidance ... and the discipline he needed."

Vasquez, 35, was killed Nov. 8 near Fallujah, Iraq, by a makeshift bomb. He was stationed at Fort Riley. He is survived by wife Nicole, daughter, Breanna, 6, and son Cameron, 2.

Vasquez, who grew up in Port Huron, Mich., loved being active. He had recently taken up golf, and excelled at skateboarding and breakdancing.

He missed his unit's first deployment to Iraq while training in the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning. Those close to him say Vasquez hoped another chance would come.

Friend Jeff Parr remembered Vasquez as fearless. "If it was dangerous, he wanted to do it. ... And I'm sure he would rather it be him than anyone else in his unit. I'm proud of him."

Army Pfc. Joey Whitener

Pfc. Whitener

Joey Whitener made a surprise visit home to McDowell County, N.C. for the birth of his first child, Tristan. But then he had to return to Iraq. His wife e-mailed baby pictures to her husband, and used a Web cam to show him his son.

"I would turn on Web cam and let him see Tristan," Beth Whitener said. "He would just sit there and cry."

Whitener, 19, died Nov. 15 when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in northern Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell.

A member of the Navy JROTC in high school, Whitener had hoped the military could help him become a doctor, said Ruth Fortune, his foster mother. He was a kindhearted, respectful young man, she said.

Whitener came to visit Fortune and her husband after his son's birth.

"He was so proud of that baby," Fortune said. "When he started to leave, he gave me a big hug and told me he loved me."

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry L. Wilson

Sgt. Maj. Wilson

Jerry L. Wilson, one of the highest-ranking enlisted soldiers in the Army, accepted the hazards of his job.

"He said to me, 'I fully realize that life is fleeting,"' said retired Lt. Gen. Burton Patrick. "But he also told me, 'I wouldn't have it any other way."'

Wilson, 45, of Thomson, Ga., was killed Nov. 23 when his vehicle was attacked in Mosul, Iraq. Initial reports said he was beaten with concrete blocks, but the Army has said there was no evidence of such violence after his SUV was shot and crashed into a wall. He was based at Fort Campbell.

"If there's somebody in the military better at being a coach and mentor than Command Sgt. Maj. Wilson, I haven't met him," Sgt. 1st Class Julius Chambers said of his platoon sergeant.

The impact Wilson had on soldiers is "beyond comprehension," said Col. Anthony J. Tata.

Wilson touched others he worked with. Lai Ling Jew, a producer for NBC News who was embedded in Iraq with Wilson, called him "a great man, someone I see as a consummate gentleman." She said of him, "I will never forget that smile or his selflessness."

He is survived by his mother, Daisy Wilson, and two sons.

Army Spc. Robert A. Wise

Even as an ROTC cadet in high school, Robert A. Wise stood out among his peers, becoming the student commander of his unit. "He was a remarkable young man, a go-getter," said Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Sullivan.

"He inspired other cadets," said Sullivan, who also taught Wise in an aerospace science class. "He was the person who would show up one hour early and stay three hours late to do whatever needed to be done."

Wise, 21, was killed Nov. 12 in an explosion in Baghdad. The National Guardsman was based in Tallahassee, Fla., his home town. He is survived by his parents, Tammy and David Wise.

Wise was a jokester who was always smiling, said Spc. Paulo Vinanti, who took the young soldier under his wing when Wise joined the National Guard in the summer of 2000, just after he graduated from high school.

"He always had a smile on his face. No matter how bad it got," Vinanti said. "He was a good kid."

Army Spc. James R. Wolf

When James R. Wolf returned on a 15-day leave in October, he made it a point to thank the elementary school students who had sent him letters in Iraq.

"You really knew what Jamie was about," said Bob Wolf, his father. "Most 21-year-olds might have spent all of their time partying, but he took a day and put on his desert fatigues and spent two hours talking to a classroom full of kids. I'm sure putting on those fatigues again was the last thing he wanted to do."

The engineer, raised in Scottsbluff, Neb., was killed Nov. 6 in Mosul, Iraq, when a homemade bomb exploded near his convoy. He was stationed at Fort Carson.

"He loved the U.S. Army," his mother, Chris Wolf, said. "He was so proud, and knew it was going to be a good life for him."

James Wolf had been working on schools and housing in Iraq.

"He felt safe," Chris Wolf said. "He was always the gunner on the back of the Humvee. He was so tall, we wondered why he did that."

Army Capt. George A. Wood

Capt. Wood

George A. Wood was a history buff who hoped to use his experience leading troops in preparing for a doctorate.

"He'd read encyclopedias," said his stepfather, Mike Babula Sr. "He'd read everything from front to back."

The 33-year-old captain, who led four tanks in Iraq, was killed Nov. 20 when his vehicle hit an explosive. He grew up in Marcy, N.Y., and was stationed at Fort Hood.

Wood hoped to combine his interests in history and football working as a teacher and coach at West Point. He was a 1993 graduate of Cornell University and earned master's degrees from the State University at Albany and Cortland State.

From an early age, Wood was fascinated by military history. Theron Perna, a childhood friend, said he remembered constantly bickering with Wood about the tactical abilities and strategies of two generals.

"That was an ongoing argument we had since we were, gee, 6," Perna said.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their daughter Maria, 3.