Army Spc. Nathaniel H. Johnson

Spc. Johnson

Nathaniel H. Johnson was a stellar high school student, a key person on the ROTC drill team and a well-liked student. Before leaving for Iraq, he visited his old high school.

"He was still very close to many people here, so this is devastating," said Staff Sgt. Jay Jenkins, in charge of the school's ROTC program. "It didn't matter what he was doing -- Nate had a smile on his face."

Johnson, 22 of Augusta, Ga., was killed Jan. 8 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was on was shot down south of Fallujah, Iraq. Johnson, a paratrooper, was based at Fort Bragg. The helicopter was on a routine medical flight and eight others on board were killed.

Felix Johnson said his son had no real feelings about going to war.

"He said he wasn't scared. And when he got there he said it wasn't that bad," he said.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Philip A. Johnson Jr.

Philip A. Johnson was a committed military man who jumped to the Army after the Marines Corps.

The helicopter pilot attended the University of South Alabama in Mobile for three years before joining the Marines. After four years in the Marines, Johnson served in the Army for six years.

"He was very committed. He was doing what he wanted to do, and he felt he was doing the right thing," said his father, Philip A. Johnson Sr.

Johnson, 31, was born in Davenport, Iowa, and grew up in Chicago, before his family moved to Mobile in 1985. He was attached to the 4th Infantry Division based in Colorado Springs.

He was among nine soldiers killed Jan. 8 in a Black Hawk crash in Iraq.

Johnson's wife, Melissa Johnson, 28, is in the Air Force and lives in Colorado Springs.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Ian D. Manuel

CWO Manuel

After high school, Ian D. Manuel went to work in the mortgage department of a bank in Jacksonville, Fla. But a more exciting life beckoned.

"He met a gentleman who had been a helicopter pilot in the Army," said his father, Brice Manuel, and decided he wanted to fly, too.

Manuel, 23, of Jacksonville was killed Jan. 8 when a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down south of Fallujah, Iraq. Eight other soldiers on board also were killed. He was based at Fort Carson.

Born in Honolulu, the son of a retired Navy man, Manuel grew up in Maryland and Florida, where he attended high school. In Maryland, he lived with his mother near the water and developed a love of swimming. He was also an avid golfer.

"He loved the outdoors and fishing," said his mother, Tita Derrow.

Army Pfc. Jesse D. Mizener

Pfc. Mizener

Jesse D. Mizener returned home to California in November for the birth of his third child, his first son. He was scheduled to come home for good soon.

"We stopped worrying; his time was so short," said his brother, Brian Mizener.

Mizener, 24, of Auburn, Calif., died Jan. 7 when a mortar round hit his a Baghdad-area logistics base. Based at Fort Lewis, Mizener was a construction equipment repairer.

Mizener had been worried about mortar attacks.

"You miss home the most when you get mortared," he told The Auburn Journal in November. "It gets scary, especially when you see it land and see how close it is. That's when you really think about home a lot."

Survivors include his wife, Nicole, two daughters, ages 2 and 1, and a 2-month-old son.

Army Capt. Eric T. Paliwoda

Capt. Paliwoda

Eric T. Paliwoda had a busy life ahead of him. There was a wedding to plan, a master's degree to earn and a teaching position to pursue.

"He was very excited. He'd be a wonderful teacher; he had a very commanding presence," said his mother, Mary Paliwoda.

Paliwoda, 28, of Goodyear, Ariz., was killed Jan. 2 when his command post came under a mortar attack in Balad, about 50 miles northwest of Baghdad. An engineer, he was based at Fort Carson.

Paliwoda and his fiancee, Wendy Rosen, were planning a June wedding, said his father, Alfred Paliwoda. He also wanted to earn a master's degree and teach at his alma mater, West Point, said his mother.

Paliwoda grew up in Farmington, Conn., and was a standout basketball player in high school. Many universities sought the 6-foot-7 player, and he chose the prestigious military college, Mary Paliwoda said.

"Originally, he did go there to play basketball. But he was always willing to devote himself for our country," she said.

Army Spc. Justin Pollard

Family and friends remember Justin Pollard as a happy-go-lucky guy who would do anything to make his friends laugh. But he was about more than laughter, especially after Sept. 11, 2001.

"He became angry and decided that he would not just talk, but act," said family friend Terry Collins.

Pollard, 21, of Foothill Ranch, Calif., was killed Dec. 30 in Iraq.

Because of his death, Veterans Day will forever be different for everyone who knew Pollard, said Saddleback Church Pastor Bob Baker.

"The concept of liberty takes on a new meaning because we now understand the price," he said.

The soldier's father, Bill Pollard, said he misses his son greatly. "But I also know he's going to be 21, be an American soldier, and be a hero the rest of my life. In some way, that gives me comfort."

Army Spc. Marc S. Seiden

Spc. Seiden

Marc S. Seiden had been thinking for a long time about joining the Army, but kept putting it off.

"Then 9-11 happened, and it hit him hard," said his girlfriend, Tricia Ferri. "He wanted to do something about it. That was the way he was. For him to deal with something, he had to just jump into the middle of it."

Seiden, a 26-year-old paratrooper from Brigantine, N.J., died Jan. 2 when his convoy was ambushed in Baghdad. He had been in Iraq for nine months, and died three weeks before his Fort Bragg-based unit was scheduled to come home.

"It's not natural. It's not what was supposed to happen," said Ferri, 22. "He had a lot of expectations for the future. That's what he was coming home to."

Seiden played soccer in high school and at Ramapo College, and then worked in constructing before enlisting in the Army seven months after the terrorist attacks.

Survivors include his parents, Jack and Gail Seiden.

Army Sgt. Jeffrey C. Walker

Sgt. Walker

Jeffrey C. Walker was a fitness and car buff who traveled the world during 14 years in the military.

Walker and his brother, Johnny Walker, were born in Seoul, South Korea, to a Korean mother and an American father.

During their father's military career, they lived in California, Texas and Panama. But Walker always considered Maryland home.

After graduating from high school in Havre de Grace, Md., Walker joined the Army. He trained as a welder, completed airborne school and served in Korea, Germany, the Balkans and the United States.

"He'd decided to make a career of the military," Johnny Walker said. "He loved serving his country."

Walker, 33, was one of nine soldiers killed Jan. 8 when a Black Hawk helicopter on a routine medical flight to Baghdad was shot down. He was stationed at Fort Bragg.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A. Weaver

CWO Weaver

Rebounding from testicular cancer, Aaron Weaver could have stayed put at Fort Bragg when his unit shipped out to Iraq last year. But that wasn't like him.

Weaver, 32, of Inverness, Fla., had worked hard to get himself back into shape after cancer surgery in 2002, and got a special medical clearance to fly his OH-58 observer helicopter in Iraq, his father, Mike Weaver said.

"He wanted to go to Iraq," his father said. "When you're in a group like that, you don't want your friends to leave you behind."

Weaver was on a Black Hawk helicopter en route to Baghdad for a checkup when the craft was shot down south of Fallujah, Iraq. The Jan. 8 crash killed eight other soldiers.

As an Army Ranger, Weaver survived the October 1993 battle of Mogadishu in Somalia that was recounted in the book and film, "Black Hawk Down." He helped save a buddy's life and is featured in a documentary on the battle.