Army Staff Sgt. Paul C. Mardis

Sgt. Mardis

Even in the worst circumstances, Paul C. Mardis kept his head. When he was wounded in an explosion, he came to a fellow soldier's aid. Later, as he lay dying from pneumonia, he cheered up those who came to visit.

"Once again, it was Paul doing the inspiring," said Sgt. 1st Class Donald Kabrich, who said Mardis came to his aid when the two were wounded.

Mardis, 25, died July 15 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., from injuries sustained in a May 20 explosion near Mosul. He was stationed at Fort Campbell.

His sister, Sherri Lawrence, said Mardis underwent brain surgery and developed pneumonia. "His body was just worn out and couldn't fight anymore," she said.

"Paul loved his country, and was proud to be a part of the Special Forces," Mardis' wife, Kacey, said in a family statement. "He will be missed by each of us in different ways. He is a true American hero."

Army Staff Sgt. Stephen G. Martin

Sgt. Martin

Stephen G. Martin may have been a law-and-order police officer, but he had a lighter side, too. Like the time he put a dead squirrel in Police Sgt. John Hirsch's squad car.

"I'm sure Steve drove every street in the city to find the right squirrel," Hirsch said during a memorial service for Martin, 39, who died July 2 of wounds he received when a truck bomb exploded near his checkpoint in Mosul.

A member of the Army Reserves, Martin served in a Military Police Detachment based in Sheboygan, Wis.

At the ceremony in Rhinelander, Wis., Martin's 21-year-old son, Seth, played guitar and sang Eric Clapton's song "Tears in Heaven."

Martin's father, the Rev. Jim Martin, said he sometimes considered his son strange as a child. "Hour after hour, he read the encyclopedia," the elder Martin said to quiet laughter.

"Was he perfect? No. Was he honest? Yes. Was he straightforward? You better believe it. That was the person he was."

Besides his son and father, Martin's survivors include his wife, two daughters and three stepdaughters.

Army Pfc. Jesse J. Martinez

Pfc. Martinez

Two days before he died, Jesse J. Martinez called his mother from Iraq and told her he had been approved for a two-week leave, but asked her to keep it a secret so he could surprise the family.

He also asked for a care package, and the next day his mother mailed him powdered Gatorade, cookies and pictures of his month-old nephew.

Martinez, 20, of Tracy, Calif., died July 14 when the vehicle he was traveling in swerved to miss an oncoming truck and rolled over. He was stationed at Fort Lewis.

Jan Martinez said her son was outgoing around people he knew well and was an avid fan of the Oakland A's and Raiders. He was considering becoming a police officer or going into elementary education, and she said he was happier than she had seen him in a while when he enlisted in May 2003.

"I was excited because he was so excited for this," Jan Martinez said. "I hadn't seen him like this for a long time. It was something he really wanted to do."

Marine Sgt. Krisna Nachampassak

Krisna Nachampassak loved soccer and his kids -- and had a plan to combine the two passions.

"He always used to say that he wanted a lot of kids so he could have his own soccer team," said his wife, Danile Nachampassak.

Krisna, 27, of Burke, Va., died July 10 in a vehicle accident in Iraq. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.

Humble and caring, Krisna always thought of other people, his wife said.

His parents, who made their way out of Laos, came to the United States in 1976. Thinnat Nachampassak said he often told his two sons about their struggle and thought it made an impression.

Danile said her husband told her during a phone call that he was scared and there was a lot of bombing. But he also said he was worried about who would watch after his wife and two boys if something happened to him.

"He was not thinking of himself," she said.

Marine Cpl. Terry Holmes Ordonez

Family was important to Terry Ordonez.

He looked after his siblings when his parents split up. He even enlisted to help support his mother.

"He died too young," Guadalupe Ordonez said.

Ordonez, 20, of Broward County, Fla., was killed July 10 in a car accident in Iraq. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

The Ordonez family moved from Nicaragua to the United States about eight years ago and lived in New Jersey before settling in Florida.

At first Ordonez worked for a cruise line, but when he was laid off he looked to the military for its economic benefits, said Genoveva Ordonez, his aunt. He joined the Marines in 2002 and arrived in Iraq on June 15.

Ordonez had also attended Broward Community College for about a year and a half, and wanted to be an electrical engineer. He planned to return to school when he got out of the service, his family said.

Army Staff Sgt. Gregory V. Pennington

Sgt. Pennington

As a member of Special Forces, Gregory V. Pennington couldn't tell his family much about his experiences in Iraq, but he still made sure to call home on Father's Day, the day before he died.

"His captain said he died a hero," Aulbin Pennington said of his son. Army officers told the family that the soldier died trying to evacuate his men during an attack on their camp.

The 36-year-old from Glade Spring, Va., died June 21 in Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Visitors to the soldier's Damascus, Va., high school stopped to sign bulletin boards in his memory.

"I'm very proud to have known him," said Leigh Ann Copenhaver, who graduated with Pennington in 1986. "I'll remember how proud he made this community."

Survivors include his wife, Janet.

Army Spc. Charles C. Persing

Spc. Persing

Early on in his Army days, Charles "C.C." Persing talked about making the military his career. Then, he toyed with the idea of becoming a police officer. He settled on going to college after his stint was up.

"He was going to buy some land and take care of his mama and his brother," said Persing's aunt, Lena Bouley.

Persing, 20, of Albany, La., was killed July 19 by an explosion in Iraq. He was based at Fort Drum.

Persing enlisted after graduating from high school in 2002, relatives said.

Persing's father died when he was young. His mother, Betty Persing, was struggling financially then, so relatives took custody of C.C. and his younger brother, Robert, now 17.

"He never was with his mama that long, but he always thought about his family," Bouley said. "He was like a regular kid. He'd shoot the basketball outside. He was always happy, joking around and trying to make people pleased with him. ... We can't believe it."

Air Force Staff Sgt. Dustin W. Peters

Sgt. Peters

When Dustin Peters returned to Arkansas after serving six months in Iraq, he volunteered to serve again with a group of young soldiers. Master Sgt. Glen Dagen said Peters' only reason for returning was to take care of the troops.

"His fear was that he was going to have his young troops from Little Rock (in Iraq) and he couldn't be there to take care of them," Dagen said.

Peters, 25, of El Dorado, Kan., died July 11 when his convoy was hit by homemade bombs near Mosul, three weeks from returning home. He was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base.

He was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart posthumously. The medals were given to his son.

Peters' mother said her son was proud of his service in the Air Force and wanted to make it his career.

"I asked him if he was scared, and he said 'I just try to help the people who are scared,"' said Linda Benning.

Marine Pfc. Christopher J. Reed

Chris Reed loved hunting and fishing with his brother, and wanted to use his military experience to get a job with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

He had been in Iraq only three weeks when the vehicle he was riding in overturned.

"He'd basically just gotten there," said his brother Brian.

Reed, 20, of Craigmont, Idaho, died July 10 after the Humvee he was riding in Al Anbar Province rolled, killing four people. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Reed graduated high school in 2003 and almost immediately joined the Marines -- his departure was delayed because on graduation night the two brothers got into a wrestling match and Chris ended up hurting some ribs.

Before his deployment, Reed spent most of his time visiting friends and family.

"When it came to his family, he put them before everything else," said his good friend Beth Pratt, who remembered him as a lively presence. "Even when there was nothing to do Chris would turn a boring evening into an unforgettable memory."

Reed is survived by his parents, Keith and Tammy Reed.

Army Sgt. Tatjana Reed

Sgt. Reed

When Tatjana Reed left her 10-year-old daughter behind to go to Iraq, she reassured her own mother.

"She told me not to worry for her," said Brigitte Dykty of Clarksville, Tenn. "She was asking about us."

Reed, 34, was killed July 22 when a homemade bomb detonated near her convoy in Samarra, Iraq. She had been stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Reed was born in Germany and graduated from high school there. Her Army records list Fort Campbell, Ky. -- where she was previously stationed -- as her hometown.

She served in the Army for more than a decade, graduating from basic training in February 1991.

"She loved the Army," Dykty said.

Reed is survived by a 10-year-old daughter, Genevieve.

Army Cpl. Demetrius Lamont Rice

Cpl. Rice

Demetrius Lamont Rice trained to be a chef and studied computer graphics, but he joined the Army when he failed to find a job in either of those fields.

Valorie Rice said her son believed in his country, and "He just wanted to do something with his life."

Rice, 24, was killed July 14 in a vehicle rollover near Talafar, 45 miles from Mosul in northern Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Lewis.

While her son was in Iraq, Valorie Rice would use three-way calling to link up Rice with other relatives, and they would "try to keep his spirits up," she said.

She remembers the last time she spoke with her son.

"He sounded down. I think he was tired of being over there," she said. "He was ready to come home, like a lot of them. But he knew why he was there, why this needed to be done."

Army Spc. Sonny G. Sampler

Sonny Gene Sampler was a happy, generous young man who always wanted to help his family.

"He was a first-class kid," Rellon "Skeeter" Sampler said about his younger brother. "He'd do anything for you. He always had a smile on his face."

Sampler, 23, of Oklahoma City, was killed July 8, one of five soldiers killed at a military headquarters in Samarra when insurgents detonated a car bomb and fired a mortar barrage at the building. He was based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Sampler joined the Army in 2001 as a way to better himself, said his friend Dylan Toombs.

"He wanted to kind of make something of himself and have a direction in life," Toombs said. "He thought when he came out of the military he would have a pretty straight head on him."

But Toombs said the main reason Sampler gave for joining was so he could save money and help his family.

Sampler is survived by his parents, Kim and Gene Sampler.

Army Spc. Jeremiah W. Schmunk

Jeremiah Schmunk was a high school wrestler who placed sixth in the state when he was a senior in 2002.

"He beat the best when he was at his best," said Rick Bowers, Schmunk's coach. "That was an inspirational moment for all the kids on the team."

Schmunk, 21, of Richland, Wash., was killed July 8 after an attack on his patrol near Baghdad. He was a member of the Washington National Guard.

Bowers described Schmunk as "really friendly, sociable and a good friend of my youngest daughter. He would do just about anything for anyone. He's going to be missed."

On the day he died, Schmunk called his mother, Shirley Schmunk to let her know he was OK and say that he loved her, said his uncle, John Daly.

Before his deployment late last year, Schmunk was living in Kennewick and attended Columbia Basin College.

Marine Sgt. Alan D. Sherman

Sgt. Sherman

Michael Sherman remembers his brother Alan as "bigger than life ... a protective brother, a loving father, tough as nails."

"He was a Marine," Michael Sherman said to more than 200 people crowded into the Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels on the Fourth of July to say farewell. "He lived that life top to bottom."

Sherman, of Wanamassa, N.J., was serving his second tour of duty in the Middle East when he was killed on June 29 in eastern Iraq by a roadside bomb. Sherman, 36, was based in Folsom, Pa.

When not on active duty, Sherman was a licensed practical nurse, working at a senior citizens' home, said his ex-wife, Dolores Sherman.

He is survived by two sons, Joshua, 10, and Logan, 7.

Michael Sherman said his brother provided something for the boys -- "He left them his honorable name, as a hero and as a loving father."

Army 2nd Lt. Brian D. Smith

Lt. Smith

Though Brian D. Smith had a promising law career ahead of him, there was one thing missing: tanks.

Smith, who worked in labor and employment law, decided to join the Army in June 2003 because he had a lifetime fascination for the rumbling military machines, his mother said.

Once in Iraq, Smith was dedicated to helping teach others how tanks operated, said Lt. Jim Meeks, who served with him in Iraq. "He led by example, not just by telling everyone what to do," Meeks said.

Smith, 30, of McKinney, Texas, was killed by a sniper on July 2 in Habbaniyah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad. He was based at Fort Riley.

Smith received an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas in 1991 and later attended Baylor Law School. He started a practice in McKinney, then moved to Austin.

"The profession has lost somebody I don't think it will be able to replace," said Alicia Wilde, an attorney who worked with Smith. "He was one of the most brilliant young men I ever met."

His survivors include his wife, Kathleen Carroll-Smith.

Marine Staff Sgt. Trevor Spink

Trevor Spink was quite literally the face of the U.S. Marine Corps.

From 1996 until 2000, Spink's image in full dress uniform was used on Marine recruiting posters, billboards and literature across the country. But he was more than just a pretty face, having served in the Gulf War and signing up for three tours in Iraq.

"He had a lot of easy jobs in the Corps, but every time a war would happen, he'd sign up for the infantry," said his half brother, Lucas Kozloski. "He loved it and he loved his country."

Spink, 36, of Farmington, Mo., died July 10 in a vehicle accident in Al Anbar Province.

He was born in Abington, Pa., and attended high school in Farmington. An Eagle Scout, he joined the Marines in 1985, months after graduating high school. He was based at Camp Pendelton.

Spink returned from the Middle East in May and June to see his family, visit friends and ride his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle. His aunt, Cindi Lamers, fixed him grilled chicken, just as he asked.

"Everybody gains weight when Trevor's home because we love to cook and eat," Lamers said.

Spink is survived by his mother, father and two stepfathers.

Marine Lance Cpl. Vincent M. Sullivan

Cpl. Sullivan

Last April, Erika Sullivan took a leap of faith and wrote to her one-time boyfriend in Iraq, telling him how much she loved him. Across an ocean, Marine Lance Cpl. Vincent M. Sullivan was doing the same thing at about the same time.

The letters passed in the mail, and after Vincent Sullivan returned from his first tour in Iraq, the two were engaged. They celebrated their Dec. 27 wedding by going bowling and planned to visit Hawaii for their honeymoon when he returned for good.

Sullivan, 23, of Chatham, N.J., died July 23 during a firefight in Al Anbar Province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Sullivan had worked for a Manhattan accounting firm while taking classes at County College of Morris, said his mother, Susanne Sullivan. He had toyed with the idea of joining the Marines before, but after Sept. 11, "he was determined to do the right thing, join the Marines and fight," his mother said.

"He was there so that other people would not have to be, so that other people would not die," said his wife, Erika. "He was there because his instincts told him to be."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Linda Ann Tarango-Griess

Sgt. Tarango-Griess

One of the last e-mails Linda Ann Tarango-Griess sent home included a picture of a muddy, beaming woman, surrounded by her platoon following a five-mile run called "Desert Dash."

"None of us won the race, but in our hearts, we are winners, our reward is the self-satisfaction for just finishing the race," Tarango-Griess wrote to her cousin, Linda Hernandez.

Tarango-Griess, 33, of Sutton, Neb., died July 10 when a roadside bomb exploded near her convoy outside Samarra.

An athletic former fast-pitch softball player, she graduated from high school in 1990 and joined the Nebraska National Guard, based in Lincoln.

"She's the bravest person I know. I admire her and I've admired her since we were young," Hernandez said. "She was successful at everything she did."

Tarango-Griess' death came a day after her husband, Nebraska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Doug Griess learned he would be mobilized for service in Iraq. He was given the option to stay home due to his wife's death, but he has decided to go and fight.

"It'd be harder being here," he said.

Marine Cpl. John Todd III

Cpl. Todd

The night before he was killed, John Todd III phoned his wife, whom he married three days before shipping out.

"I know he told her he loved her," his aunt, Kay Shinners said. "John was proud of the job he was doing. He was an excellent Marine."

Todd, 25, of Bridgeport, Pa., was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on June 29. His unit was based in Folsom, Pa., and was on its second deployment in Iraq.

Todd, who loaded trucks for a window company and operated his own sign-painting business on the side, had joined his Marine Corps reserve unit four years ago, said Shinners.

"He just wanted to be a Marine," Shinners said, adding that he showed no strong emotion about being called up for his second deployment in January. "He was going over to do what he needed to do -- his job," she said.

Survivors include his wife, Colleen Rado.

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael S. Torres

Cpl. Torres

This fall, Cathedral High School's football players will each wear a small number 81 on their uniforms. That was Michael S. Torres' jersey number.

"I would like all my young players to act like him," said head football coach, David Portillo. "He was a fine young man."

Torres, 21, of El Paso, Texas, died July 5 during fighting in Al Anbar Province. He was based at Twentynine Palms.

After Torres' death, his mother was reminded just how well-liked he was.

"You wouldn't imagine the outpouring of people from all over the country who are calling and coming to bid him goodbye," Rossana Esparza said.

Esparza said she managed to speak to her son before his death.

"We just talked about how we missed each other and how much he missed everyone here and how he was trying to do his part in keeping the war away from our homeland," Esparza said. "He wanted to extend our freedoms to other people."

Torres also is survived by his father and a fiancee.

Army 1st Sgt. Ernest E. Utt

Sgt. Utt

An Army veteran of more than 20 years, Ernest E. Utt could've retired and gotten out of the service, avoiding Iraq altogether. But a father at heart, the 38-year-old Utt had a strong sense of duty to some 80 soldiers under his command.

"He didn't want his soldiers to go to Iraq alone," said his wife of 10 years, Denise Utt. "He was like a father figure to them. My husband is a hero. He was an honorable man."

Utt, who was based at Fort Hood, was killed in a rocket attack in Baghdad on June 27, about four months after being deployed.

Denise Utt said her husband was in such a hurry to prepare for deployment, he didn't have time to visit his father where he grew up in central Illinois.

"He was so sad he didn't have time to travel to Illinois before he left," his wife said. "He told his father over the phone before he went, 'Dad, you will be the first person I visit when I come back."'

Utt, of Hammond, Ill., is survived by his wife and their five children from previous marriages.

Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Vangyzen IV

Cpl. Vangyzen

Despite returning home from a war zone, John J. Vangyzen had no intention of taking it easy.

Vangyzen, who served his first tour from early 2003 to October, went back to Iraq in February, but he and his father managed to cram in some quality time doing some pretty dangerous things.

"We had a blast. We went bungee jumping together," said John Vangyzen III. "It wasn't son and father. It was dude and dad."

Vangyzen, 21, of Bristol, Mass., died July 5 in fighting in Al Anbar Province. He was based at Twentynine Palms.

Vangyzen enlisted in the Marines while he was still in high school. He planned to re-enlist in the military police, in hopes of one day joining the Massachusetts State Police, his stepmother, Jane Vangyzen, said.

Vangyzen is also survived by his wife, Amanda, and mother, Dorothy Arsenault.

"He's a hero just like all the soldiers that died in Iraq," his father said.

Army Sgt. Christopher A. Wagener

Even at war, Christopher A. Wagener had a knack for making people smile.

"He always had so much enthusiasm," said Cpl. Stephanie Steele, who knew him for three years. "I never saw him sad. He was always, always happy no matter what."

Wagener, 24, of Fairview Heights, Ill., was killed when a land mine or roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee in Mosul, Iraq, on July 1. He was stationed at Fort Drum.

Wagener entertained his family and friends with far-fetched stories. He had a love for the outdoors -- especially kayaking. At his funeral, a bright orange and yellow kayak was propped against the wall, towering over the casket.

He joined the Army just a few weeks after graduating from high school, and served as a helicopter mechanic. He re-enlisted in January so that other men with more to lose might not have to, said his sister, Michelle Friederich.

"He said he's single and has no kids, and if he can save one father from going over (to Iraq), he'd do it," Friederich said.

He is survived by his parents, Kenneth and Dani Wagener.

Army Spc. Dana N. Wilson

Dana N. Wilson had dreams of coming home to Colorado and opening a restaurant once he returned from Iraq.

"He was so close. So close to coming home," said his brother Damian Wilson, a soldier at Fort Carson.

Dana Wilson, 26, of Fountain, Colo., died July 11 in a head-on collision with another vehicle in a convoy near Al Hillah. He had been stationed in Germany.

Wilson is survived by his wife, Christen, and two sons, Tristan, 5, and Brandon, 3. The couple was married in 1999 on Valentine's Day, according to state records, and the family was living in Germany.

Damian Wilson said his younger brother had been in the Army for less than a year and wanted to become a cook. As kids, the two brothers played baseball and football together.

"I was quarterback," Damian Wilson said. "My brother was the only one who would know where I was throwing the ball before I would throw it."

Marine Pfc. Rodricka A. Youmans

Pfc. Youmans

You could tell Rodricka A. Youmans liked being a Marine just by looking at what he wore around the house -- his khaki-colored casual dress uniform.

"He liked the respect people gave him when they saw the uniform," said his father, Johnnie Youmans, a staff sergeant in the South Carolina Army National Guard.

The younger Youmans, 22, of Allendale, S.C., died July 6 when his vehicle struck a mine near Fallujah, Iraq. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

After graduating from high school in 2000, Youmans studied to be a mechanic in Houston. He returned home and enlisted in the Marine Corps after being laid off from his last job.

Youmans joined the military to support his fiancee, Stephanie Cuthbertson, and children, Amiyah, 4, and Mekhi, 1. A third child, Rodricka Jr., is due this summer.

"I need to be a man," Youmans' parents recalled their son telling them when he enlisted. "I need to take care of my kids."

Army Spc. Nicholas J. Zangara

Spc. Zangara

Nicholas Zangara phoned his wife in York, Pa., to wish her a happy 20th birthday only hours before he was killed.

"He stayed on the phone until 2:30 a.m. He was so full of life," said Melanie Zangara, his wife of 16 months. "He kept me on my toes every day. It was always something new with that boy."

Nicholas Zangara, 21, of Philadelphia, was killed July 24 in Tikrit when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. His unit was based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Zangara enlisted in the Army in 2000 and served three years, mostly in Germany and Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia. Richard Zangara said he urged his son to re-enlist.

"After he was sent to Iraq he said to me, 'Dad, I never used to listen to you, and when I finally did, I ended up in Iraq. I should have tried to keep my streak alive,"' Richard Zangara said.

Nicholas Zangara had been due to return to the Philadelphia area on leave in two weeks.