A lot of people respected Stacey C. Brandon.

"He was a very outstanding young man whose loss will affect a lot of people," said Frank Lightfoot, a family friend. "He was one of the young people you could admire."

Brandon, 35, of Hazen, Ark., was killed early April 24 when mortar rounds hit Camp Cooke where he was stationed north of Baghdad. He was based in Hazen, Ark.

Brandon worked as a prison guard for the Arkansas Department of Correction and later worked at the federal prison in Forrest City.

Survivors include his wife, April.

Army Staff Sgt. Cory W. Brooks

Sgt. Brooks

Cory W. Brooks was a combat engineer throughout his 15 years of service with the National Guard, and was promoted to staff sergeant in September 1999.

Brooks, 32, of Philip, S.D., died April 24 in Iraq in a non-combat incident.

Mike Moses, Brooks' former boss, recalled Brooks' last words to him: "He said 'I'll see you in a year.' He was a soldier and he was doing his job."

Survivors include his parents, Darral and Marilyn Brooks of Philip.

"It can happen to anybody and it just so happened that it happened to somebody from a little town like this," said Philip resident Anthony Ellis. "And, in little towns, everybody knows everybody and it's sad to hear that."

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal

Petty Officer Bruckenthal

Nathan B. Bruckenthal always went in for the active approach. In high school he was a volunteer firefighter and spoke of either making that his profession or becoming a police officer.

"He would come to almost all the (fire) calls that he could," said Michael Gabbianelli, a friend and fellow volunteer firefighter. "He was always there to help people."

Bruckenthal, 24, of Smithtown, N.Y., died April 24 when suicide bombers in boats attacked pumping stations in the Persian Gulf. He was based at the the Coast Guard Air Station in the Miami suburb of Opa-Locka, Fla.

The Ridgefield, Conn., native was the first member of the Coast Guard to die in battle since Vietnam.

Bruckenthal played football in high school and was involved with a club that helped students who were new to the school adjust.

Bruckenthal was a month away from finishing his second stint in Iraq returning home to his wife, pregnant with their first child.

Survivors also include his parents and sister.

Army Spc. Marvin Antonio Camposiles

Spc. Camposiles

Marvin A. Camposiles moved with his parents to the United States from Nicaragua when he was a young boy, but he always maintained strong ties to his native country.

A U.S. citizen, he said he wished to be buried in his hometown of Jinotega, where many of his relatives still live.

Camposiles, 25, of Austell, Ga., was electrocuted April 17 while working on a generator at a base near Samarra, Iraq. Based in Schweinfurt, Germany, he was a power generator equipment repairman.

"What we know is very little, but it is really hard that we've lost him," said his aunt, Dora Campos.

Survivors include his parents, Marta Siles and Marvin Campos of the Atlanta area.

Army Staff Sgt. Edward W. Carman

Sgt. Carman

An optimist, Edward W. Carman joined the Army despite his mother's objections about taking on such a dangerous job.

"He loved the Army and he used to tell me the tank is the safest place to be," said his mother, Joanna Hawthorne. "And that's where he was killed."

Carman, 25, of McKeesport, Pa., died April 17 near Baghdad when a track on his tank broke and the vehicle rolled off a bridge. He was based at Fort Hood.

Carman believed there were a lot of good people in Iraq and he was helping them, Hawthorne said. "He always had such an insight into humanity and how to make the world better."

Carman, a high school wrestler and a good student, hoped to settle down in Texas one day, his mother said. He was serving his second tour of duty when he died.

Survivors include his 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.

Army Pfc. Shawn C. Edwards

Pfc. Edwards

Shawn C. Edwards' father said when his son told him he planned to enlist in the military, he had some of the best possible reasons to back up his decision.

"Whenever your son comes to you and says,'Well, I could use the discipline, and I don't want you to worry about my education,' what do you say to that?" said his father, Glen Edwards.

Edwards, 20, of Bensenville, Ill., died April 23 in Samarra, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy. He was based in Kitzingen, Germany.

The high school football player and wrestler decided to enlist during his junior year.

Edwards enjoyed tinkering with things, said his sister, Robin. His task in Iraq was setting up cellular communication networks.

"He was so proud to wear that uniform," she said. "Every time we saw Shawn in his uniform, his chest was pumped."

Army Capt. Arthur L. Felder

Capt. Felder

Arthur L. Felder's mother said he never let on he was in danger in Iraq.

"He would say that he was safe behind his desk," Cheryl Stuart said. "You would have thought he was calling from Little Rock."

"Bo" Felder, 36, of Lewisville, Ark., was killed early April 24 when mortar rounds hit Camp Cooke where he was stationed north of Baghdad. He was based in Hazen, Ark.

He had served in the National Guard since 1986.

Survivors include his ex-wife, Brenda, and their two children.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Bradley C. Fox

Sgt. Fox

Bradley C. Fox planned on finishing his tour in Iraq and then re-enlisting as a recruiter in the Midwest. He wanted to retire from the Army with 20 years of service.

His uncle, Jim Aldrich, called Fox a "dedicated military professional who wanted to finish his career in the military and live a successful civilian life. ... He had a real good life planned for him and his family."

The 34-year-old from Orlando, Fla., died April 20 in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries from a March 14 roadside bomb explosion. He was based in Friedburg, Germany.

Fox, a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, was was working toward a master's degree with the intent of becoming a college instructor, either teaching military science or ROTC.

He was two months short of ending his tour in Iraq.

Fox grew up an only child in Adrian, Mich., where his mother still lives. "He always took care of me, always made sure that I had everything that I needed," said his mother, Pat Dartt.

Survivors also include Fox's wife, Sabine, and their three children.

Marine Capt. Richard J. Gannon II

Capt. Gannon

Richard J. Gannon II attended Cornell University on a Navy scholarship, graduating in 3 1/2 years with a double major in political science and history. He attended the Naval Academy for advanced leadership courses, then accepted a commission as a Marine officer in 1995.

"He was a very goal-oriented person, but he matured beyond achievement," said his father, Richard Gannon. "He was an exemplary leader ... When he was with you, he was present, which is a very rare quality with young people."

Gannon II, 31, Escondido, Calif., was killed April 17 in a hostile attack in Iraq's Anbar province. He was based at Twentynine Palms.

Gannon, who has been recommended for a Purple Heart, participated in last year's capture of Baghdad and returned to Iraq in February.

"Nobody wants to push their luck, but he was seasoned, he was experienced, and those are the people we need on the front lines doing the job," his father said.

Survivors also include his wife, Sally, and children Connor, Patrick, Richard III and Maria.

Army Spc. Christopher D. Gelineau

Spc. Gelineau

Those who knew Christopher D. Gelineau describe him as a friendly, reliable young man who loved working with computers.

"He was a very nice boy. He was patient and quiet," said his aunt, Pam Gelineau.

Gelineau, 23, of Portland, Maine, was killed April 20 in an explosion outside Mosul, Iraq. His Army National Guard unit was based in Portland.

Gelineau grew up in Vermont and moved to Portland to attend the University of Southern Maine. He was one semester shy of a degree in information and communications technology when he deployed to Iraq in March.

"He was a great student, and he'll be missed," professor Robert Nannay said in a statement. Gelineau's wife, Lavinia, is a business student at the school.

Survivors also include his mother, stepfather and father.

Army Pfc. Leroy Harris-Kelly

Pfc. Harris-Kelly

Leroy Harris-Kelly, a native of Costa Rica, met the woman he would marry during Army training in Virgina.

They were married in July 2002 in Germany. When Harris-Kelly shipped out to Iraq from Germany, his wife was discharged and sent home to Michigan, where she said she had expected he would soon join her and their 15-month-old daughter, Aalexis.

Harris-Kelly, 20, of Azusa, Calif., was killed April 17 in a truck accident north of Talil, Iraq. He was based in Darmstadt, Germany.

"I was so glad. He was coming home," his wife said. "They offered him a re-enlistment but he said 'no."'

Army Sgt. Jonathan N. Hartman

Sgt. Hartman

As a child, Jonathan N. Hartman loved guns and tank, but always wanted to be a pilot.

"Down deep .... one of his desires was to learn to fly," said his aunt, Jean Hartman of Waynesville, Ohio. "He loved Wright-Patterson (Air Force Base) and, every time he came home, he had to go visit."

Hartman, 27, of Orange Park, Fla., was killed April 17 when his convoy was attacked near Diwaniyah, Iraq. He based in Friedburg, Germany.

"Sgt. Hartman was a dedicated patriot that loved serving in the U.S. Army, loved his flag, loved God and country, and was proud of his assigned mission," his mother, Judy, said in a statement.

Hartman enlisted in October 1999 and was a crewman on an M-1 tank. A native of Portsmouth, Va., he attended high school in Virginia, but lived in Florida since 1996.

Army 1st Lt. Robert Henderson II

Robert Henderson II, who joined the National Guard when he was 17, had worked as a sales manager at a home improvement store in Kentucky for several years and was well liked.

"He was the type of person when he was faced with a challenge, his eyes would light up and he'd get this look on his face and you just knew it was going be taken care of," said Robert Castle, operations manager at the Lowes store.

Kenderson, 33, of Alvaton, Ky., was killed on April 17 during an ambush on his convoy in southern Iraq. He had served as a platoon leader in the National Guard.

"He loved it," Henderson's mother, Lillian, said in a statement. "He always wanted to do what was right. He was the best."

Henderson attended Western Kentucky University from 1990 to 1994.

Survivors also include his wife, Lisa, who was expecting their first child at the time of his death.