Army Spc. Alan Bean Jr.

Spc. Bean

Alan Bean was a country boy who loved the country life.

"A rusty truck, a six-pack and country music is all he needed to be happy," said Jim Varney, one of his best friends. "I called him a redneck and he called me a city boy. That was Alan -- just an all-American guy."

Bean, 22, of Bridport, Vt., a member of the Vermont National Guard, was killed May 25 in an attack south of Baghdad.

His death means he will never get a chance to meet his son, who was born the day he landed in Kuwait.

"He left behind a legacy and gave me a special gift," said Heather Annas, Bean's girlfriend and mother of his child. "I get to look at that gift every day and remember what a good man he is."

Army Spc. Beau R. Beaulieu

Spc. Beaulieu

Beau R. Beaulieu's family had already suffered a military loss a decade ago. His stepfather's brother, Thomas Field, was killed and his body was dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.

"I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to have a couple immediate family members, loved ones, lost under these circumstances," said Jim Bennett, a family friend. "It has to be the most challenging circumstances anyone can go through."

Beaulieu, 20 and based at Fort Hood, died in a mortar attack May 24 near Baghdad. He graduated from high school in Lisbon, Maine, in 2002 and got married shortly before leaving for Iraq. His brother was in basic training at Fort Knox when Beaulieu died.

In the school's yearbook, Beaulieu said he planned to go to college after the Army. English teacher Jill Hooper said Beaulieu "believed in what was right" and would have been proud of his Army service.

Survivors include his wife, Christina, a high school classmate.

Army Spc. Michael C. Campbell

In the months after the 2001 terror attacks, Michael C. Campbell drove trucks hauling debris from what used to be the World Trade Center.

"That really played hard on him," said Donna Gann, who with her husband took in Campbell during his high school years in the mid-1980s.

The lack of blood relation to the Ganns didn't matter, said their daughter, Sherry Wilson, "He was our brother and my mom's son," she said.

A Navy and National Guard veteran from Marshfield, Mo., Campbell, 34, deployed to Iraq with the Army. He was killed May 19 by a roadside bomb in Samarra.

The decision to serve in Iraq wasn't easy for Campbell, Wilson said. "He made sure it was OK with the family and that everybody was all right with it," she said. "We didn't like it, but we supported him 100 percent."

Campbell last spoke to his family after Mother's Day and thanked Gann for sending care packages with candies and cookies, which he shared with fellow soldiers and Iraqi children.

Lance Cpl. Michael M. Carey

Serendipity brought Michael Carey to a Marine Corps recruiting office when he was 17. The Army recruiter wasn't there when Carey and his grandfather stopped by, so they checked next door with the Marine recruiting office.

A Marine combat engineer from Hopewell, Va., Carey, 20, drowned May 18 in the Euphrates River while trying to defuse a bomb under a bridge. He never met his daughter, Mia, who was born May 5.

"He was a brave man," his brother, Kristopher, said. "I love you, Mikey. Thank you for making me what I am."

Carey also is survived by his wife.

Army Sgt. Brud J. Cronkrite

His high school teachers said Brud J. Cronkrite was a thoughtful and intelligent student who was reluctant to tout his own accomplishments.

"He didn't blow his own horn when he was doing good. He was always supportive of other kids, but he didn't always get the credit he deserved," said Gary Priester, who coached him on the wrestling team.

Cronkrite, 22, of Portrero, Calif., died May 14 from injuries suffered in a grenade attack a day earlier in Karbala, Iraq. He joined the Army in 2001 and was based in Germany.

Cronkrite also was a member of the Future Farmers of America at the San Diego County school, where he graduated in 1999. Club adviser, Kelly Tulloch, said Cronkrite "never gave me an ounce of trouble, ever. If I needed something, I could count on him."

Survivors include his parents, William and Wendy Cronkrite.

Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton

Sgt. Horton

Jeremy R. Horton joined the Army to get money for college, but ended up finding his place there.

"He certainly loved his family and loved his country and loved being in the military. It was what he wanted to do. We need more like him," said his uncle, Rich Wittenburg.

Horton, 24, of Erie, Pa., was killed May 21 by a roadside bomb near Al Iskandariyah, Iraq. He was based in Germany.

Horton played both the saxophone and drums in high school and played in bands where he was stationed, his uncle said.

Survivors include his wife, Christie, whom he married shortly after joining the Army.

Army Pfc. Leslie D. Jackson

Pfc. Jackson

Leslie D. Jackson was a battalion commander in the JROTC program at her Richmond, Va., high school before graduating last year.

"The Army is what she wanted. That's why there are no regrets," said her aunt, Pearl Roberts.

Jackson exchanged e-mails with school Principal Earl M. Pappy about her decision to enter the military and her experiences in Iraq. "The students are very upset because she was respected very, very much," he said.

Jackson, 18, was killed May 20 when the Army truck she was driving hit an explosive device in Baghdad. She was based at Fort Hood.

She viewed the Army as a way to further her education, Roberts said. Jackson grew up in a closeknit family and "loved to shop and dress up and do her nails."

Survivors include her parents.

Marine Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Molinabautista

Jorge A. Molinabautista wanted to become a Marine since his childhood.

"He believed in what he was doing," said his sister, Connie Molina. "He was so proud. He's a hero."

Molinabautista, 37, of Rialto, Calif., spent 13 years in the Marine Corps and had trained as a drill sergeant at Camp Pendleton, where he was based. He was killed May 23 by hostile fire in the Anbar province of Iraq.

He had asked the Marines to change his last name from Molina to Molinabautista to honor his mother, Maria Bautista, and the military accommodated his request.

Molinabautista is survived by his wife, Dina, and three sons.

Army Spc. Jeremy L. Ridlen

Spc. Ridlen

Jeremy L. Ridlen and his twin brother, Jason, always seemed to be together: at church, on the softball field, even in the recruiter's office when they enlisted.

"They just clung to each other. You can't talk about one without talking about the other," said Diane Daggett, who taught them at the Maroa, Ill., high school where the twins graduated in 1998.

The Ridlens, 23, were stationed with the same Illinois National Guard unit in Iraq when Jeremy was killed May 23 in a truck explosion near Fallujah. They were students at Illinois State University when their unit was activated last year.

The twins looked so much alike that "I was not always sure which one I was talking to. They could trick me," said the Rev. Marlin Jaynes, who is acting as a family spokesman.

Their high school math teacher, Erin Morrison, said Jeremy Ridlen always tried hard in school.

"Teenagers these days can be really attitude-filled, but he didn't ever have an attitude. He was just a really good kid," she said.

"They were always together," she said. "I wasn't surprised that they were together over there as well."

In addition to his brother, Jeremy Ridlen is survived by his parents and a sister.

Marine Cpl. Rudy Salas

The eldest of five children, Rudy Salas loved to run and would sprint home before he could be picked up from school. Maybe it was an early form of basic training, since he always wanted to be a Marine.

"Since he was little, he liked the Marines," said his mother, Elida Salas.

His brother Sammy said Salas "always tried to influence me to go into the military."

Salas, 20, of San Bernardino, Calif., joined the Marines in 2001 after high school and was based at Camp Pendleton. He was killed May 20 in a vehicle accident in Anbar province.

"He died a hero," his mother said.

Other survivors include his father, Rodolfo Salas.

Army Sgt. Kevin Sheehan

A member of the Vermont National Guard for about 12 years, Kevin Sheehan volunteered to go to Iraq when his unit was mobilized.

Sheehan, a project manager at Engineers Construction in South Burlington, Vt., died May 25 when his unit was attacked while escorting military intelligence detail.

The 36-year-old left behind a wife and two children, ages 3 and 6.

"He was a hard worker, a very nice guy," said Maj. Peter Firkey of the Vermont Guard. "Easy to get to know, easy to like, just a really good guy."

Army Pfc. Owen D. Witt

Pfc. Witt

Karen Witt said her youngest son, Owen, would goof off at times, imitating comic routines and speaking with fake accents, and once thought he might be a comedian. "He was not a studious child. He gave his teachers lots of trouble, but they all loved him," she said.

He also loved to paint landscapes, sing and act in school plays.

"He had dreams of being a big country western singer," Karen Witt said. "He was going to learn to play the guitar."

Witt, 20, of Sand Springs, Mont., was killed May 24 when his armored vehicle rolled over near Dwar, Iraq. He joined the Army after high school and had been stationed in Germany.

Other survivors include his father, David.

Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Zabierek

Cpl. Zabierek

A college graduate who worked at a financial firm, Andrew J. Zabierek volunteered for the military after the 2001 terror attacks, which affected him deeply, his father said.

Stephen Zabierek said his son chose enlisted duty rather than being an officer. "His point was, how do you lead a grunt if you don't know what a grunt goes through every day?" said Zabierek, who served in the Navy in the 1970s.

Andrew Zabierek, 25, of Chelmsford, Mass., also has a brother in the Air Force and their grandfather was a bombardier in World War II. Zabierek, based at Camp Lejeune, was killed May 21 when he was struck by a vehicle in Iraq's Anbar province.

Stephen Zabierek said his son had a difficult life in the Middle East, but he enjoyed talking to Iraqi children and said they would flock around him and ask questions about America and his family.