Army Capt. Matthew J. August

Capt. August

Matthew J. August believed he could make the world safer for future generations by fighting in Iraq, his father said.

"You can't really weigh the life of your child in terms of what our country's needs are, but I think he believed in what West Point taught -- duty, honor, country," said Richard August.

August, 28, of North Kingstown, R.I., died Jan. 27 when a roadside bomb exploded next to a convoy in Khaldiyah, Iraq. He was based at Fort Riley.

He was an avid outdoorsman and a great trout fisherman, his family said. Officials from August's high school described him as a quiet leader who distinguished himself with difficult coursework.

At West Point, August met his wife, Maureen, and they married in 1998. August's mother, Donna, said her son was protective of his wife, who also was serving in Iraq.

"He doted on her," she said.

Army Spc. Todd M. Bates

When his squad leader lost his balance and fell from a patrol boat into Iraq's Tigris River, Todd M. Bates plunged in to try to rescue him.

"Todd always wanted to be somebody," said the Rev. Don Cordery, the soldier's high school football team chaplain. Bates succeeded in that goal, Cordery said, becoming "an American hero."

The 20-year-old gunner from Bellaire, Ohio, drowned along with Staff Sgt. Aaron Reese on Dec. 10. Both were members of the 135th Military Police Company, based in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park.

Bates wrote his grandmother from Iraq, telling the woman who raised him that he was grateful for his upbringing. "He said when he saw the kids over there he appreciated all the things he had," Shirley Bates said.

"The selfless sacrifice of Specialist Bates is incredible," said Maj. Gen. John Smith, adjutant general of Ohio.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael T. Blaise

Michael T. Blaise loved to fly so much that he would e-mail pictures of the inside and outside of his helicopter to his family.

"He was doing what he wanted to do, and he loved it," said his stepmother, Cheryl Blaise. "He told my husband that if anything happened, don't feel bad: 'I'm doing what I want to do."'

Blaise, 29, died Jan. 23 when his helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul, Iraq. He was based at Fort Campbell.

He graduated from high school in Macon, Mo., in 1993 and attended technical school for a year before joining the Army, which he always wanted to do, said his father, Terry. Blaise felt strongly about serving in Iraq, and said Iraqis often thanked him for his service.

Blaise's wife, Kate, is an Army captain who was serving at the same base in Iraq.

Army Pfc. Jeffrey Braun

Jeffrey Braun was adopted by an American family, but he dreamed of starting an orphanage in Honduras, where he was born.

"Jeff always had a plan, a purpose," said the Rev. Richard Forcier, Braun's family priest. "He had a dream to give back."

The 19-year-old from Stafford, Conn., died Dec. 12 of a non-hostile gunshot wound in Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Bragg.

As a teenager, Braun's hairstyles changed often, friends said. He enlisted in the Army shortly after graduating from high school, where he was a multi-sport athlete and member of the choir.

"My brother was never afraid to try new things while everyone stood aside and just watched him," Julie Braun wrote in a letter that was read at the soldier's funeral.

"Everyone could feel the warmth of his personality," she wrote.

His parents, William and Meredith Braun, and his sister say they are continuing his work to start an orphanage.

Army Cpl. Juan C. Cabral Banuelos

Juan C. Cabral Banuelos had less than three months left in Iraq before he would have been back home with his wife and two young children in Texas.

"He was proud of his boys, proud of his family ... I'm going to go back to Utah and raise my boys like he wanted me to," said his wife, Anita Cabral. High school sweethearts, the couple married a few months after Cabral enlisted in 1998. Their sons are aged 7 and 18 months.

The 25-year-old mechanic was killed Jan. 31 when his vehicle struck a homemade explosive device near the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk. Born in Mexico, Cabral grew up in Riverdale, Utah and briefly listed his home address as Emporia, Kan. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Anita Cabral said her husband loved to tinker, especially on his 1963 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport. That love of cars helped make him a light-truck mechanic in the military.

Survivors also include his mother.

Army Staff Sgt. Roland L. Castro

Roland L. Castro was the kind of father who happily played dress-up with his 4-year-old daughter, Raquel Lee.

"It didn't matter what kind of day he'd had," said his cousin, B.J. Ramos. "He'd sit and have tea with her and her Barbies."

The 26-year-old soldier from San Antonio died Jan. 16 when he was accidentally shot as he searched a bunker, military officials told his family. He died in Camp Cedar II, Iraq, and was assigned to Fort Sill.

When Castro was sent home with relatively minor hand injuries, he told his mother he wanted to return to Iraq. "I've got to bring my soldiers back safely," Hope Soriano recalled him saying at Brooke Army Medical Center in June.

Within weeks he was again leading his field artillery unit near Baghdad, and by early January, half of Castro's unit had made it safely back to Kuwait. He told his wife, Liliana, that he expected to return to San Antonio by March.

"This is what he loved to do," Soriano said of her son. "He was so proud of being a soldier."

Army Spc. Jason K. Chappell

Spc. Chappell

Jason K. Chappell was a bright student who threw himself into whatever he did, whether it was an academic competition or a school play.

"He was so intense he would just drive us to do better and better," said Rich Herold, who coached Chappell on a high school Academic Decathlon team.

The 22-year-old infantryman from Hemet, Calif., was killed Jan. 24 by a car bomb in Khaldiyah, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Chappell maintained a 3.8 grade point average in high school.

"He was so determined in everything he did," Jennifer Mallon said of her Academic Decathalon teammate. She also appeared with Chappell in a school production of "The King and I."

"Jason was always a quiet kid who loved church, family and country," said Susan Priest, his aunt. "He joined the military to make himself a better person. He believed in what he was doing."

Survivors include his wife, Stephie.

Army Pfc. Ervin Dervishi

After emigrating from Albania to the United States, Ervin Dervishi joined the Army because he thought it would be the best way to train for a career in law enforcement.

Dervishi, his parents and brother came the United States in 1999 after winning an immigration lottery, said Kim Beebe, the family's U.S. sponsor. He became a U.S. citizen after he was inducted into the Army.

"He grew up under communism and wanted something better and something different for his life," Beebe said. "His whole point was to keep peace."

Dervishi, 21, of Fort Worth, Texas, died Jan. 24 after attackers in Baji, Iraq, fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the vehicle in which he was riding. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Saimir Dervishi said he and his brother always wanted to be soldiers.

"He left a kid, he became a man and died a hero," Saimir Dervishi said.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Dorff

CWO Dorff

Patrick Dorff wanted to fly when he was a boy, and the dream stuck as he got older: "He had it in his blood all his life," Leanne Rogers said of her brother.

The 32-year-old from Minneapolis was on a rescue mission searching for soldiers from a boat that had capsized when his helicopter crashed in the Tigris River on Jan. 25. He was assigned to Fort Drum.

Dorff got a job at an airport and got his pilot's license about the same time he got his driver's license, Rogers said. Later, he was all signed up to go to college when he told his parents he was going to fly helicopters in the Army instead.

Survivors include his wife, Yamira, and their 3-year-old daughter, Brisa.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Brian D. Hazelgrove

Before becoming a helicopter pilot, Brian D. Hazelgrove worked in military intelligence and served two tours of duty in South Korea.

"The guy was amazing," said his half-brother, Brad Lemon. "He thrived in the military and was making it a career."

Hazelgrove, 29, of Fort Rucker, Ala., died Jan. 23 when his helicopter crashed near Mosul, Iraq. He was assigned to Fort Drum.

Hazelgrove graduated from high school in Edinburgh, Ind. He joined the Army in 1994 and had been in Iraq since November.

"He was a bright, very personable and very likable young man. He had a great sense of humor," said David East, a former high school principal.

Survivors include his wife, Kimmi, and four children.

Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hendrickson

Sgt. Hendrickson

Kenneth Hendrickson could get a group of people to skip on their way home from a restaurant or dance in their seats during a long road trip.

He was willing to try almost anything and believed in having fun, said his wife, Reane. His son, Trevor, said Hendrickson always set aside "guy time" for them and was at ease with Trevor's high school friends.

"He was really a big kid to me," Trevor said.

Hendrickson, 41, died Jan. 24 when his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb north of Fallujah, Iraq. His Army Reserve unit was based in Bismarck, N.D.

He joined the National Guard in 1989. Described by his wife as a "computer geek through and through," Hendrickson, of Bismarck, worked as a computer technician for the local school district.

His mother recalled Hendrickson's descriptions of poverty in Iraq.

"He felt he needed to be there," Adeline Reis said. "He never complained."

Army Sgt. Keicia M. Hines

Keicia M. Hines was working in the arms room handing out weapons when she met Sean Hines. They married on Christmas Eve in 2001.

"We clowned a lot. We had fun, bottom line. I was in love with her," Sean Hines said.

The 27-year-old soldier from Citrus Heights, Calif., died after being struck by a vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 14. She was stationed at Fort Bragg.

Sean Hines said his wife loved the movies and loved to shop. The day before she died, she sent him an e-mail asking him to order some clothes and shoes from a trendy store.

In the e-mail she told her husband she was "exhausted and couldn't wait to get home and that she loved me," Sean Hines said.

"She was having a difficult time being in Iraq with all the devastation," said her mother, Beverly Coleman of Sacramento, Calif. "I would just tell her to take it one day at a time."

On the same day that Coleman learned of her daughter's death, she received a package from Hines containing a purse stuffed with beads, money and a note that said "I love you, Mommy."

Army Sgt. 1st Class James Thomas Hoffman

"He invited my son horseback riding with him and his family one day last summer. It was really a blessed day and a memory I will cherish, as will my son always," Alvarez said at a memorial service for Hoffman and three comrades.

Hoffman, 41, was killed Jan. 27 in a bomb attack in Khalidiyah, Iraq.

After three years in the Army Reserve, Hoffman joined the active Army in 1987 and was assigned to Fort Campbell. He served in the Gulf War, later was stationed in Germany, and then at Fort Riley in 1994. In 1998, he was assigned to recruiting duty in Des Moines, Iowa.

He returned to Fort Riley in 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in September.

Hoffman grew up in Palatine, Ill., and was married, according to Fort Riley officials.

Army Master Sgt. Kelly L. Hornbeck

While in South America fighting drug dealers for the U.S. military, Kelly L. Hornbeck flew a Texas flag over his camp.

When asked by a friend, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Callahan, why the banner was chosen, Hornbeck replied: "When those guerrillas attack, I want them to know there's a Texan here."

Hornbeck, 36, was wounded Jan. 16 when an explosive device hit his vehicle near Samarraon. The soldier, who was stationed at Fort Carson, died two days later.

Born in Selma, Ala., Hornbeck graduated high school in 1985 in Fort Worth, and left Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, after a year to join the military.

"Dad was a great friend," one of Hornbeck's daughters, 11-year-old Jacqueline McCall, said at her father's funeral. "He died for his country and he was the best soldier because he was brave."

He is also survived by his daughter Tyler Hornbeck, 7.

"When people ask me what was my favorite memory of my dad, I say I don't know because I have so many," Tyler wrote in a message read at her father's memorial.