Army Spc. Larry K. Brown, 22, of Jackson, Miss.

Spc. Brown

Larry K. Brown seemed happy when he called home from Kuwait a week before the war began.

"He was very comforting at bad times. He always had the right thing to say," said his 16-year-old sister, LaKeidra Davis. "He used to make me laugh .... He'd make a joke about anything; it would be so funny."

Brown, 22, of Jackson, Miss., and based at Fort Riley, was killed in action April 5.

"He just felt like he wanted to be doing more," said his mother, Rosemary Brown. "He was doing what he wanted to do. We were all proud."

Brown played basketball, baseball and ran track in high school in Jackson.

"He was fairly quiet. He was also a kind of funny guy when he wanted to be, but for the most part he was a real serious young man," high school principal Dorothy Terry said.

Marine Cp. Bernard G. Gooden, 22, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Carmen Palmer Thompkins holds photo of her nephew, Cpl. Bernard Gooden.

The last time Cpl. Bernard Gooden saw his mother was on Christmas, when she cooked his favorite food from his childhood in Jamaica. They sat on the floor and talked about his dream to become a lawyer.

Gooden was killed during a firefight April 4 in Iraq. He had been stationed overseas for a few months, said his mother, Carmen Thompkins of Mount Vernon.

The straight-A student had been excited to go, she said, but once there, he wrote letters that described the experience as "horrible." She sent him a care package of cheese, crackers and other goodies that the 22-year-old Marine was craving.

A few days before her son was killed, Thompkins received a thank-you letter from him that was "the best letter that anybody could ever have," she said through her tears on Tuesday.

"He was a kid any mother would love to have," Thompkins said. "He was very warm."

Gooden grew up in Jamaica and attended York College in Toronto, Canada, but had to leave because the family couldn't afford the tuition. He joined the Marines in 2001 as a way to finish his education, hoping to pursue corporate law.

Army Staff Sgt. Lincoln Hollinsaid, 27, Malden, Ill.

Staff Sgt. Hollinsaid

Lincoln Hollinsaid caught the Army bug when he was working for a construction company after high school.

"A friend he worked with had been in the military and started telling Linc about it, and he just got infatuated with it," said his father, Dan Hollinsaid.

Hollinsaid, 27, of Malden, Ill., and based at Fort Stewart, was driving a crane when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade April 7.

"His main concern was that the young soldiers under him were trained properly. He wanted to take care of them," his father said.

He said his son loved two things -- the military and the outdoors. About a year ago, the soldier took his parents four-wheeling in the mountains.

"When he wasn't marching or doing something for the military, he was marching through the mountains on his own," his father said.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, 33, of Tampa, Fla.

Sgt. 1st Class Smith

Paul R. Smith was a 13-year Army veteran who said he felt honored he was leading soldiers into war.

"Paul made it clear that it was his privilege to lead 25 of America's finest soldiers into war, and he was prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure their safe return, and he did," said his sister, Lisa DeVane.

Smith, 33, of Tampa, Fla., and based at Fort Stewart, was killed in action April 4.

DeVane said her brother was a family man who enjoyed spending time at home.

"He didn't really like to go out with the boys," she said. "He liked to be with his family. He was very happy with what he had -- a simple and happy person that way."

Smith graduated from high school in 1989 and enlisted that year. Before going to Iraq, he served in the first Gulf War, Bosnia and Kosovo.

"That's what he wanted to do, be a professional soldier and have a family. He had his life mapped out since he was 18," said Smith's stepfather Donald Pvirre.

Smith is survived by his wife and two children.

Army 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Kaylor, 24, Clifton, Va.

Lt. Kaylor

Like most soldiers in the Middle East, Jeffrey Kaylor was separated from his young wife -- but not by as many miles as most.

Jenna Cosby, also a second lieutenant, was also on a tour in the Persian Gulf when Kaylor was killed in a grenade attack April 7.

They were both in Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets, a military school within the university. Kaylor graduated in 2001.

"Kids come to college to grow up and make mistakes," said Col. Rock Roszak, one of his advisers. "He didn't make mistakes. He was just even-keeled. He was focused."

Kaylor, 24, of Clifton, Va., was based at Fort Stewart and left for the Middle East last August, right after their wedding.

"The sad thing is that the war is coming to an end and he would have been so elated to come home and tell everybody here all the proud things he did," said his mother, Roxanne Kaylor. "Now I won't be able to hear that, I won't be able to see that."

Marine 1st Sgt. Edward Smith, 38, Vista, Calif.

Sgt. Smith

Edward Smith, a Marine who also served as an Anaheim, Calif., reserve police officer, told friends he planned to ride into Baghdad wearing his black SWAT team cap stitched with a silver eagle.

Smith never made it. The 38-year-old died April 5 from wounds suffered in combat.

"We all knew Edward was a great man and it's so nice to know everybody else knew him too," his widow, Sandy. The couple have three children.

She said Smith wanted to test himself after 20 years in the Marines without having seen combat.

"He was the best dad you could ever have. I miss him a lot," the couple's son, Ryan, 10, tearfully said.

Smith, hired by Anaheim police in 1999, sent e-mails and letters to police colleagues, who gave him a Special Tactics Detail cap and pin. In a postcard fashioned from a cardboard box, Smith told fellow officers "his intention was to wear his SWAT cap all the way into Baghdad," said police spokesman Rick Martinez.

Army Pvt. Gregory Huxley Jr., 19, Forestport, N.Y.

Pvt. Huxley

Gregory P. Huxley Jr. was many things to many people, but his friends would agree he was someone who never wanted to see anyone sad.

"He just loved to make people smile," said Jennifer Sancomb, a former classmate at the high school where Huxley graduated in June.

"He was a very friendly kid, always happy," said Principal Frederick Morgan.

Huxley, 19, of Forestport, N.Y., and based at Fort Benning, died in combat April 6. He was the son of Mary and Gregory Huxley Sr.

Huxley had played football through his junior year, then opted out senior year because he felt he should get a job.

"He was well-suited for the military," football coach Mike Millich said. "He didn't mind discipline. He followed orders. And he was proud. He was a proud young man."

Marine Cpl. Jesus Martin Antonio Medellin, 21, Fort Worth, Texas

Cpl. Medellin

Cpl. Jesus Martin "Marty" Antonio Medellin was a gentle, quiet man who was active in church, loved his grandmother's tortillas and spent time with his 11-year-old brother, Simon, his family said Tuesday.

"He would always play games with me, chess, and we would play on the computer," Simon said. "He would take me to movies and to the store a lot."

Medellin, of Fort Worth, Texas, was killed when an enemy artillery round struck his Amphibious Assault Vehicle in central Iraq on Monday, the Department of Defense said. His family was told of his death that night.

His aunt, Simona Sifuentes, said she and Simon had been going to church to pray for the Marine's safety.

"I was very nervous the past few weeks when my brother (Marty's father) would call me," she said. "I would panic and think they were calling me to tell me Marty was killed."

Medellin had been assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Aviles, 18, Tampa, Fla.

Lance Cpl. Aviles

Andrew Julian Aviles put off a full academic scholarship to Florida State University because he felt he had a moral obligation to serve, his family said.

"He was a born leader, mature beyond his years, smart and articulate," said his sister, Kristine Aviles, 21. "He always had big dreams, big aspirations, and loved his family and friends deeply."

Aviles, 18, of Tampa, Fla., was killed April 7 when an enemy artillery round struck his vehicle.

Kristine Aviles said she last talked with her brother when he was training and they discussed plans for a trip with their 17-year-old brother, Matthew.

As a high school senior Aviles was a class president, cheerleader and a member of the wrestling team. A National Honor Society member, he graduated third in his class.

"This man had a phenomenal presence in this school. He was Mr. Everything," said Chuck Jaksec, who leads the school district's crisis intervention team.

Army Pfc. Anthony S. Miller, 19, San Antonio, Texas

Pfc. Miller

Not sure what to do after graduating from high school in 2001, Anthony S. Miller joined the Army.

"He saw an opportunity to better himself and to apply the skills he learned in the Army at a future point," said his brother, Patrick Miller. "He had a bunch of ideas in his head."

Miller, 19, of San Antonio and based at Fort Stewart, was killed in combat April 7.

"He was a happy kid," Patrick Miller said. "If he saw anybody down, he would try to cheer him up."

The brothers' mother, Maria Teresa Saldivar, moved from San Antonio to Georgia last year to be close to her soldier son.

"He liked to have my mom with him," Patrick Miller said.

Marine 1st Lt. Brian McPhillips, 25, Pembroke, Mass.

Lt. McPhillips

Brian McPhillips was not the type of person to accept failure.

"He was able to think quickly on his feet," said Nicholas Argento, who taught McPhillips in high school. "He always had a fiery determination about him. If he got something wrong, he wanted to know how to make it better."

McPhillips, 25, of Pembroke, Mass., died in combat April 4. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

His parents, David and Julia McPhillips, said in a statement that McPhillips "served his country with unwavering pride. At this difficult time we ask for your prayers, specifically for our family, his platoon, for all U.S. servicemen and women, and in general for world peace."

McPhillips, who is also survived by a younger sister, was a graduate of Providence College.

Army Capt. Edward Korn, 31, Savannah, Ga.

Capt. Korn

Edward J. Korn campaigned to defer his officer training at Fort Knox and get a position with Central Command. He wanted to get to the front lines of the war in Iraq.

"He'd come to me and say, 'Sir, you've got to know someone, can you call someone?' because he wanted to join the war effort," said Maj. John R. Zsido, Korn's supervisor at Fort Knox.

"He knew if he could get to Central Command, that he could work his way into a unit and work his way to the front, which is exactly what he did," Zsido said.

Korn, 31, of Savannah, was killed April 3 as he investigated the wreckage of an Iraqi tank destroyed by his unit.

Korn earned a bronze star while serving in the Persian Gulf War.

"He came in and took the bull by the horns and accepted every mission he was given," said Sgt. Douglas E. Kennedy, who worked with Korn. "He would have been a great battlefield commander."

Army Capt. Tristan Aitken, 31, State College, Pa.

Capt. Aitken

Tristan N. Aitken's mother said she and her son clashed on the merits of war in Iraq, but the two always found room for each other's opinions.

"He told me it was his job," Ruth Aitken said. "He thought the protesters should say what they believed, but he had to do what he had to do, too."

Aitken, 31, of State College, Pa., was killed April 4 by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was based at Fort Stewart.

Aitken came from a military family -- his father spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy Reserves and his younger sister was commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing ROTC.

He played soccer and basketball and ran track at Centre County Christian Academy, then studied premed at Texas Christian University and won the Distinguished Military Graduate medal. A former Eagle Scout, Aitken also enjoyed working with children and taught riflery at a Boy Scouts camp.

Army Sgt. Stevon Booker, 34, Apollo, Pa.

Sgt. Booker

Gulf War veteran Stevon Booker once talked about passing lessons on to younger soldiers who had joined the military after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"One guy doesn't win a war," Booker said in an interview near the Kuwait-Iraq border in December. "You have to have confidence in your equipment. The M1A1 is the best tank on the battlefield. It can destroy anything the Iraqis throw at us."

Booker, 34, of Apollo, Pa., was killed in action April 5.

Booker was remembered as a strict soldier who cared for his family and enjoyed playing video games, basketball and darts. In the months he had been stationed in the Persian Gulf, Booker requested turkey jerky, cupcakes, boxers and many baby wipes, said the Rev. Linda Hargraves, an aunt.

"The last e-mail I got was Feb. 17. He talked about miles and miles of sand. He was tired and he wanted to get the job done so he could come home," Hargraves said.

Marine Sgt. Duane Rios, 25, Griffith, Ind.

Sgt. Rios

Even through tears, Erica Rios said she was blessed to know her husband -- even if their time together was cut short.

"I have eight years of special memories," she said of Marine Sgt. Duane Rios, killed Friday on the front lines near Baghdad.

Rios, who was stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before being deployed to Iraq on Feb. 4, was a member of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion Bravo Company.

A 1996 graduate of Griffith High School, Rios married his sweetheart, Erica, in 1998 in Las Vegas. He joined the Marines a year later.

His wife said Rios was right where he wanted to be.

"He did his job with pride because it was something that he felt was right," she said from the couple's home near Camp Pendleton.

"He was my angel. Now, he's gone," she said. "He was a great guy, none better. I was very blessed for the time that I had him."

Marine Cpl. Erik H. Silva, 23, Holtville, Calif.

Cpl. Silva

The last time Erik Silva visited his hometown, the 23-year-old Marine attended the town's annual carrot festival and got a special blessing from his grandmother.

On Thursday, two months after that visit, Cpl. Erik H. Silva, an infantry rifleman based at Camp Pendleton, died in combat when his platoon was ambushed in Iraq, said his brother.

The youngest of four children, Erik Silva graduated from Holtville High, where he played the trumpet, was a drum major and a member of the varsity golf team.

"He joined the Marines mainly because he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. The best way to do that is to join the military," said Isaac Silva, 28.

When Silva last returned home for a few weeks in late January and early February, Isaac Silva said he and his brother had a sobering talk, acknowledging the risks of war.

"It wasn't the normal, 'Hey bro, let's go have a few beers.' It was the 'Do you have everything set? Do you have all your papers in order?.. Where can I find it in case of an emergency?"' he recalled. "It was a very serious, deep conversation and it needed to be done."

From his 72-year-old grandmother, Rebeca Silva, the Marine sought a special blessing. She kissed him and said a prayer with him, relatives recalled.

"He valued my mom's blessing very much," said his aunt Elvira Silva.

Army Pfc. Wilfred D. Bellard, 20, Lake Charles, La.

Pfc. Bellard

Wilfred D. Bellard was proud to be in the military and ready to fight in Iraq.

"He told me he loved it and was ready to go to Iraq and get the job done. To me, my son is a hero," said his mother, Janet Brooks.

Bellard, 20, of Lake Charles, La., and based at Fort Stewart, died April 4 when the vehicle he was riding in fell into a ravine.

Bellard, who was named after his grandfather, graduated from high school in Georgia. His family traveled all over the country, according to his mother.

He is survived by a wife, Latricia, and a young son. His wife also is expecting a baby.

"To me, all of those guys are heroes, both the living and the dead," Brooks said.

Army Pvt. Devon D. Jones, 19, San Diego

Pvt. Jones

As a teenager, Devon D. Jones bounced from foster home to foster home after his mother went to prison. Three years ago, he found Evelyn Houston and the family he would call his own.

"He was praying for a family and God answered his prayers," Houston said.

Jones, 19, of San Diego and based at Fort Stewart, died April 4 when his vehicle fell into a ravine.

When he graduated from high school last year, Jones wanted to be a teacher. He didn't have the money for college, so he enlisted in the military. During a visit home in December, he went back to his high school to show off his uniform before being deployed.

In a letter to foster sister Keisha Erving, Jones wrote about his life in the desert.

"Sometimes I just look into the sky at the star and wonder what ya all are doing and smile," he wrote. "Hold on. Be patient, and know there is a reason for everything."