Army Capt. Eric L. Allton

Capt. Allton

One recent weekend, Eric L. Allton's wife and her mother got a flat tire. At first, they worried they wouldn't have the right equipment to fix it. But then they remembered that before Eric left for war, he made sure his wife would be OK in any situation.

Sure enough, "There was the right sized lug nut wrench, and a full-sized spare," said his wife, Christina.

Allton, 34, of Houston, died Sept. 26 in a mortar attack in Ramadi, Iraq. He was stationed in South Korea.

Eric and Christina met in Germany when she was working as a cashier at a base store and he was a soldier who kept showing up every day, even though it was pretty clear he wasn't there to buy anything. Soon they were exploring castles on the Rhine River together and sharing pizzas.

Allton got a bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland. He loved mint chocolate chip ice cream, made delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and had a good ear when it came to playing the guitar.

He also is survived by his two sons, Harrison and Hunter.

Eric's last gift to Christina was a bouquet of white roses he sent the week before he died.

Army Pfc. Mark A. Barbret

Pfc. Barbret

When the job market got tight, Mark Barbret joined the Army to help provide for his 3-year-old son, Christian.

Explaining Barbret's death to the boy has been difficult. When a sergeant came to deliver the news, Christian thought the visitor was "daddy."

"He doesn't really understand," said the boy's mother, Nicole Hale. "I've told him that Daddy is watching over him and he will see him again one day."

Barbret, 22, of Shelby Township, Mich., died Oct. 14 when his Humvee was hit by a bomb. He was based at Camp Howze, South Korea.

A quiet man with a fondness for cars, Barbret left for the military on Jan. 30, 2003, his son's birthday.

Barbret and Hale ended their relationship about a year ago, but remained close. She said she will keep his memory alive for their son.

"We're going to make sure there are plenty of tapes and photographs around for him, so that there are lots of memories," she said.

Marine Sgt. Douglas E. Bascom

Sgt. Bascom

Douglas E. Bascom's wife doesn't know the details of how he died in Iraq, but she's certain he was out in front of the men he was leading.

"He took care of his men, and I always knew he would do anything for them, even if it meant dying," Jolene Bascom said.

Douglas Bascom, 25, died Oct. 20 when a makeshift bomb exploded near him in the Anbar province. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Bascom's family moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1998 from England, where his father had been stationed in the Air Force. Described as outgoing, generous and fun-loving, Bascom worked three jobs and attended college with his sights on a degree in computer engineering.

That changed when his future wife walked into the clothing store where he worked.

"I just knew that he was the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life," Jolene Bascom said.

Douglas Bascom joined the Marines to support his new bride. He completed his hitch, but re-enlisted to volunteer for Iraq, where he felt he could protect other Marines.

"He knew people in the service who were over there and he felt a strong urge to be over there protecting them," said his father-in-law, Clair Doughty.

Army Spc. Bradley S. Beard

Bradley S. Beard could keep a room in stitches with his jokes and impressions of famous people. But the former engineering student took service to his country seriously.

A few months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Beard dropped out of North Carolina State University to enlist in the Army.

Beard, 22, of Chapel Hill, N.C., was one of three soldiers killed Oct. 14 when a bomb exploded near their convoy in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea.

At 6 foot 3 inches and about 230 pounds, Beard was a fan of football and video games and a technology whiz who once built his own computer.

He'd only recently requested to be moved to Iraq because "he thought it was important," said his father, Randall. He was charged with escorting contractors to their jobs and monitoring radios but later volunteered to find explosive devices in the field.

"I've never met a more sacrificing, dedicated man all my life," said his friend, Adam McKee. "He was the poster child for being an all-American kid."

Beard is also survived by his mother, Betsy Beard.

Army Chief Warrant Officer William I. Brennan

As a child, William Brennan liked to ride his bicycle with the family cat, Ralph, on his head. When he was older, his many nieces, nephews and cousins called him "Uncle Buck," after the sloppy but lovable character in the John Candy film.

A goofy youngest child, Brennan made friends wherever he went.

Brennan, 36, of Bethlehem, Conn., died Oct. 16 when his helicopter collided with one piloted by another soldier.

He leaves behind his wife, Kathy, with whom he served in the Army in Bosnia, and two daughters, Katelin, 4, and Cassidy, 2. They live in Hawaii, where Brennan was stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field.

In an Easter letter to his sister from Iraq, Brennan spoke of his fears and the prayers he said before getting into the aircraft.

"It is not the fear of death that weighs me down, it is the feeling of not being there for my three girls," he wrote. "There is a very real chance that something bad could happen and they would never know me."

Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Burbank

Sgt. Burbank

You could instantly tell Michael L. Burbank was a skateboarder. The sides of his head were shaved and a long strip of hair, which he often wore in a ponytail, ran down the middle.

"He was a skater dude. That was just him," said sister Linda. "I think a lot about him teaching me how to skateboard."

Burbank, 34, Bremerton, Wash., died Oct. 11 when insurgents attacked his convoy in Mosul. He was stationed at Fort Lewis.

"He was unique," said his mother, Dorothy. "He had a wacky sense of humor, he was dependable, and sometimes irritating as a child. But he was the one who if something went wrong would come and give me a hug and say, 'It's all right, Mom."'

A 1988 high school graduate, Burbank studied computers at Eton Technical Institute, then attended Olympic College's culinary arts program.

When his wife, Shawna, met him in 1994, Burbank was working two jobs and had that same skater haircut. But she noticed something special.

"He was more serious than the other guys I had been dating," she said. "He was looking for a direction to go."

Army Spc. Alan J. Burgess

Alan J. Burgess' frequent calls home from Iraq were a lifeline for his family.

So after his death, they came up with a fitting tribute: buying telephone cards for his fellow soldiers to call their own loved ones. It's a gift Burgess would have approved.

"Alan was a generous, honest person who felt that life is too short not to have fun," said Staff Sgt. Walter Dellinger, Burgess' section sergeant.

Burgess, 24, of Landaff, N.H., died Oct. 15 when he was struck by shrapnel in Mosul, Iraq. He was based in Berlin, N.H.

Burgess joined the Army in 2002, a few years after graduating from high school, "because all his friends were doing it," said his father, Edward Burgess.

He had a love of hunting, fishing and computers and was known for his big heart.

"He was a good boy, a good father and a wonderful son. His needs were always last -- everyone else came first," said his mother, Karen Moore.

He is survived by a 4-year-old son, Dakota.

Army Sgt. Jessica L. Cawvey

Sgt. Cawvey

Everything Jessica L. Cawvey did was for her 6-year-old bundle of joy, Sierra.

Cawvey, who gave birth at 15, earned an associate's degree in accounting at a community college and was pursuing a bachelor's at Illinois State University -- all to get a job that would allow her to provide for her daughter.

To fund her dreams, she joined the Army.

"I remember her saying the hardest part would be leaving her daughter," said Doug Dowell, her sociology professor at Illinois State.

Cawvey, 21, of Normal, Ill., died Oct. 6 in Fallujah when a bomb detonated near her convoy vehicle. She was based in Paris, Ill.

Cawvey graduated from high school in 2001. "She was a great young lady," said principal Del Ryan. "A very intelligent girl, very responsible, hardworking."

Her mother, Sandra, said Jessica was apprehensive when she knew she was heading to Iraq. "She didn't want to be there," she said. "She was trying to get along and raise her daughter. But she knew it was her duty."

Army Sgt. Russell L. Collier

Sgt. Collier

On his way to Iraq, Capt. Kevin Eastep handed cigars to members of his Guard unit with the instruction to hold onto them. They'd smoke the cigars together when they returned to American soil.

Russell L. Collier couldn't wait.

"He said it was too good of a cigar to wait," Spc. Tommy Rich recalled. "He said he may not come back, so he wanted to enjoy it while he could."

Collier, 48, a medic from Harrison, Ark., was shot dead Oct. 3. when he ran to the aid of a fellow soldier who had been hit by small-arms fire near Baghdad.

Rich and Eastep waited at the morgue to make the identification.

"I didn't want anybody else touching him," Eastep said. "He was ours."

Collier began his military career in 1975 in the Army. He shifted to the Navy in 1978 and joined the Arkansas Army National Guard in 1999. He worked the nightshift in the deboning section of a Tyson Foods Inc. plant

He is survived by his wife, Rocky, and son, Hunter, 9.

"The military was his whole life," his wife said.

In July, Collier sent his son a birthday gift: an Army action figure.

Army Spc. Gregory A. Cox

Friends of Gregory A. Cox said he might seem reserved at first. Then watch out.

"He was a quiet kid. But whenever the time came when the mood was down, he always had something funny to say," said George Parish, a childhood friend. "He had a dry sense of humor. He would say something with a straight face and watch you catch it."

Cox, 21, of Carmichaels, Pa., died Sept. 27 when the Humvee in which he was riding in Balad overturned. He was stationed in Germany.

Cox joined the Army shortly after high school and left for training just days before the 2001 terrorist attacks.

"He was intent on serving," said Cox's cousin, Jacob Lippert. "He was a model Christian. He was a model son. He was a model brother. He was a model soldier. He was a model hero."

"I knew him ever since he was little," said a neighbor, Jennie Fezie. "He was just home a month ago, and I was teasing him about buying a truck. He said he always wanted a truck, and he just got one."

The truck sat empty next to the Cox family's home.

He is survived by his parents, Mary Anne and John Cox, and his sister, Nicole.

Army Staff Sgt. Darren J. Cunningham

Sgt. Cunningham

When Darren J. Cunningham was playing charades recently with his daughter and one of her friends, the clue "dancing bear" came up. He tried every kind of clue, but the kids weren't getting it.

"And then, right before the hourglass ran out, he whipped off his shirt," recalled Dean Beresford, his best friend. "He was just about bald, and this was the hairiest human being ever. And almost immediately, both kids yelled, 'a bear!'

"That was typical of him. He went the extra mile for entertainment value."

Cunningham, 40, of Groton, Mass., died Sept. 30 when his unit came under mortar attack in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

Cunningham joined the Army at 18 and was a veteran of the first Gulf War. Part of his job in Iraq was training Iraqi police officers.

"My ambition is to enjoy life to the fullest," he wrote in his yearbook, "see the world."

"He was a great guy," said Beresford. "Everybody loved him. Boisterous is a word that comes to mind. Lively. A lot of fun, a good friend to everybody."

Twice divorced, he leaves a 12-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.

Army Staff Sgt. Mike A. Dennie

As they wept over his death, few mourners at Mike Dennie's memorial service could remember when he wasn't smiling.

"Staff Sgt. Dennie lived deeply," recalled his friend Staff Sgt. Tanya Harris. "Not a day went by where he was sad or upset for more than five minutes. Even if he was, he'd soon be flashing those pearly whites again."

Dennie, 31, of Fayetteville, N.C., died Sept. 29 from injures he sustained a week earlier in a vehicle rollover. He was based in Germany.

Dennie was born in Jamaica. He joined the Army in 1996 and served until 2001, then rejoined in 2002. He helped get pay and petty cash to 13,000 troops at operating bases.

Until recently, he had formed an inseparable trio with two other soldiers. The others wrote a tribute that Harris read at the service.

"We'll always remember your sayings and funny comments especially the ones that made no sense at all," they wrote. "It's hard to believe that our trio is now down to two."

Dennie is survived by his wife, Beverly, and daughter, Imani.

Army Spc. Andrew C. Ehrlich

Andrew Ehrlich was a military brat, and there was never much doubt about what he would be when he grew up. The family living room is full of Army medals, an American flag flies outside and the family dog's name is Shrapnel.

"I knew the moment he was born he was going to do it," said his father, Mark Ehrlich. "He was an infantry man like I was, like his grandfather and great-grandfather."

Andrew Ehrlich's mother, Janette, also served.

Ehrlich, 21, of Mesa, Ariz., died Oct. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq of a non-combat related injuries. The Pentagon said the death was under investigation.

Ehrlich graduated from high school in 2002 and enlisted in the Army the same year. He was based in Vilseck, Germany.

His uncle Karl Ehrlich described Andrew as a "happy-go-lucky knucklehead." He loved heavy metal music, videos and hanging out, his father said.

"He took pure pleasure in having his mother getting the Cradle of Filth CD and sending it to Iraq for him," Mark Ehrlich said. "She would go to the music store and the kids are looking at her."

Marine 2nd Lt. Paul M. Felsberg

Moments before Paul M. Felsberg's former high school cross country team left for the county championships, they learned the former team captain had died.

Coach Roy Chernock asked them to dedicate the race to his former star: "Today gentlemen, in your hearts, dedicate the race to Mike Felsberg."

The emotionally charged team won its first county title since 1991.

Felsberg, 27, of West Palm Beach, Fla., died Oct. 13 during a rocket attack on his camp in Baghdad. He was at Camp Pendleton.

With the Marines paying for college, he majored in criminal justice at Florida International University, where he ran cross-country and cheered for all the other sports, winning the Spirit Award four times, his father said. He graduated summa cum laude in 2003.

He is survived by parents Arlene and Paul.

"I remember Mike like it was yesterday," Chernock said. "From this skinny, little red-haired boy to a big, powerful man. It was a very sobering moment when we got the news. It was hard to think about cross country when you're crying."

Marine Lance Cpl. Victor A. Gonzalez

Cpl. Gonzalez

If you wanted to find Victor A. Gonzalez, a good place was the Watsonville Police Department. Officers there used to joke that the young cadet would sleep there if he could.

"He was a daily figure around our office and was close to many of the officers," said officer Carmen McCartney. "He was always volunteering to help out and to go on ride-alongs."

Gonzalez, 19, of Watsonville, Calif., died Oct. 13 during an attack in Anbar Province. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

The cadet program allows young people to get a hands-on glimpse at a career in law enforcement. Gonzalez signed up several years before he graduated from high school in 2003.

Relatives fondly remembered him playing at being a soldier and drawing pictures of police officers as a child.

"He was the kind of kid any mother would want," said Melani Davis, a school employee. "He was polite, smart, good looking, humble and sweet. I'm not just saying that either. I would say the same things about him if he was still here."

He is survived by his parents, Sergio and Amalia.

Marine Pfc. Andrew Halverson

After Andrew Halverson graduated from Marine boot camp, he and his uncle went shopping for clothes on snazzy Hollywood Boulevard. Halverson, wearing his Marine uniform, walked with his head hung low.

"He was unsure of himself and what he was," said Halverson's uncle, Rodney McFall.

As they progressed down the street, Halverson began receiving salutes of "Semper Fi," the Marine motto, from men along the street. "He started walking proud," McFall recalled. "I was proud, proud of Andrew the man and Andrew the Marine."

Halverson, 19, of Grant, Wis., died Oct. 9 -- a day shy of his 20th birthday -- in gunfire in Anbar Province. He graduated from high school in 2003 and was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

He is survived by his parents, Angela McFall and Joel Halverson.

Friends Marine Lance Cpl. Chad Pauls and Army National Guard Pfc. Jacob Lundgren recalled good times with Halverson in the days before he left for Iraq. When asked what they would say to him today, Pauls said: "Thanks for going over there and fighting for us." Lundgren responded: "You did your job. Now it is our turn."

Army Staff Sgt. Omer T. Hawkins II

Sgt. Hawkins

When Omer T. Hawkins was just 10 years old, he wrote a letter he said was very important and asked his mother to mail it immediately to the U.S. Army.

"Do you take 10-year-old boys?" he wrote in careful cursive. "Please, can I join?"

His mother tucked the letter into her Bible. But her son's commitment never wavered and he enlisted just two days after high school graduation.

Hawkins, 31, of Cherry Fork, Ohio, died Oct. 14 when an improvised bomb exploded near his vehicle in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was stationed at Camp Howze, South Korea.

Known as "O.T." in the Army, Hawkins was remembered as a bright high school student who usually had his nose buried in an almanac or encyclopedia "looking for bits of useless information because he just liked to learn," said history teacher Tom Breeze.

But above all, he was committed to serving his country. When his nephew was born, he tucked a tiny American flag into the baby's curled-up fist.

He is survived by his mother, Lisa Christman.

Army Sgt. Jack T. Hennessy

Jack T. Hennessy always seemed to stand out in high school. At football games, he was the one in face paint cheering the loudest. At his own gymnastics meets, Hennessy would boost his teammates with a joke or encouraging word.

"I was trying to think who he hung out with the most and I couldn't really put my finger on it," classmate Jason Duffy said. "He was the type of guy who could hang out with everybody."

Hennessy, 21, of Naperville, Ill., died Oct. 1 while manning a checkpoint near Baghdad. He was based at Fort Hood.

Hennessy competed in wrestling, gymnastics and soccer in high school and joined the Army right after graduating in 2001.

"He definitely lightened up the room," said friend Tony Riva. "Everybody has at least one memory of him cracking jokes, being the life of the party."

Hennessy was nearing the end of his four years of service and was looking forward to life after soldiering, including attending college, said friend Jessi Guziec.

He is survived by his parents, Bernie and Cindy Hennessy.

Army Spc. Morgen N. Jacobs

Spc. Jacobs

Morgen Jacobs wasn't sure what he wanted to do when he graduated from high school -- until the Sept. 11 terror attacks led him to choose the Army. His parents tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn't budge.

After Jacobs was killed in Iraq, "his recruiter called and was in tears, saying he wished it could have been him instead," said Todd Jacobs, the soldier's father.

"I said, 'You didn't recruit Morgen; Morgen recruited the Army. Morgen chose this path because he was a patriot, and he loved this country to death and he wanted to protect all of us."'

The 20-year-old from Santa Cruz, Calif., died Oct. 7 after an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Aaliyah, Iraq. He was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany.

An avid reggae fan, the soldier loved mountain biking, softball, biking, golf and skimboarding. Growing up, he could often be found working on model airplanes and ships or building with his Legos.

"He wasn't political," his father said. "I don't even know if he knew who's running for president right now. It was all about country and fighting for freedom."

Army Capt. Christopher B. Johnson

Capt. Johnson

Since he was a child, Christopher B. Johnson knew he wanted to be an Army pilot.

"He spent his entire life focused on his personal and professional goal of protecting and defending his fellow man," said his father, retired Army Maj. Ronald Johnson.

Christopher Johnson, 29, of Excelsior Springs, Mo., died Oct. 16 when his helicopter collided with another and crashed in Iraq. He was stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field.

Growing up, Johnson chose volunteer work over summer jobs. He was a Boy Scout, then an Eagle Scout. He graduated from West Point and his motto became duty to God and country, his family said.

Before his deployment to Iraq, he had been stationed in South Korea and served in Kuwait.

Family friend Anita Gorman remembered Johnson as an exceptional young man.

"When I first heard about him, I couldn't believe someone was that good," she said. "But when I met him, he was that good."

Army Sgt. David W. Johnson

An amateur motorcycle racer in his thirties who sported orange dreadlocks, David W. Johnson was far from a traditional National Guard enlistee when he joined up after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

"This was a dyed-orange dreadlocked racer who suddenly said 'this is something I have to do,"' said Maj. Arnold Strong. "His age was kind of late for an enlistment."

The 37-year-old gunner from Portland, Ore., was killed Sept. 25 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq. He was based in Cottage Grove, Ore.

Johnson, a one-time cook who retrained to become a gunner, kept up his interest in motor sports while in the Guard, Strong said. He raced during recruiting trips at the Portland International Raceway.

He is survived by his parents, Rick Johnson and Michelle DeFord.

Army Spc. Rodney A. Jones

Spc. Jones

Rodney A. Jones had a clear plan for his life: He was going to join the Army, go to college, then become a politician.

"He was going to be president one day," said Jones' sister, Felicia Devine. "He told me when he was like 16. I believe, really believe, that he would have been. He was just that smart and intelligent."

Jones, 21, of Philadelphia, died Sept. 30 in a suicide bombing in Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Jones read voraciously and graduated high school at 16. He wrote poetry and listened to classical music.

"He was very analytical and very intelligent," Devine said. "A lot of people thought he was really old for his age."

Devine said that when her brother learned he was going to Iraq, he started trolling the Internet to pick up some of the language. It paid off: When Jones returned home for a one-week break, he struck up a conversation in Arabic at a fast-food restaurant.

He is survived by his mother, Renee Jones, and his high school sweetheart, Terricka Willis. "I'll get married to him in heaven," Willis said. "It'll probably be better there anyway."

Army Pvt. Jeungjin Na Kim

Jeungjin Na Kim was reconsidering his beloved and souped-up Hyundai Tiburon. His wife was having a baby, so he was thinking it was time for an SUV.

He was overjoyed Sept. 7 when she delivered a boy, named Apollo Ikaika.

"He was so excited to have his son like you would never believe," she said. "Most parents are excited but ... he was kind of lonely because he was an only kid and he always wanted a huge family."

Jeungjin Kim, 23, of Honolulu, died Oct. 6 when his patrol was attacked by insurgents in Ramadi. Kim attended Hawaii Pacific University before he joined the Army in 2003 and was based in South Korea.

"I love him. So many people loved him," said his wife, A Young-Kim, who followed her husband into the Army. "But I can't be sad because my husband loved me so well in life, and I loved him so well."

She spoke to her husband a few hours before his last mission.

"My husband was always insistent 'Babe, you cannot cry in front of Apollo.' I like to keep doing what he told me, 'Don't ever cry in front of him, and make sure you smile in front of him."'

Marine Pfc. Oscar A. Martinez

Pfc. Martinez

When Marta Martinez was ever blue, her big brother Oscar was always there.

"Whenever I'm sad, he's the only person I need to talk to," said Marta Martinez, 13. "He would tell jokes and tell me not to give up."

Oscar Martinez, 19, of North Lauderdale, Fla., died Oct. 12 from mortar shrapnel in Anbar Province. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

The Marines initially refused to accept him last year unless he dropped several pounds. So he began running around his block wearing garbage bags and sweat pants to sweat off the weight.

"He always wanted to be something. He wanted to get automatic respect and awe when he walked into a room," said Carolina Durand, Martinez's girlfriend. "He got that from being a Marine."

The oldest of four children, Martinez was raised by his uncle, Rene Martinez, and the children's grandmother, Maria Marta Mendez, following the death of his mother nine years ago.

Ricardo Martinez, 11, said his big brother had a big appetite for pupusas, thick Salvadoran tortillas.

"He was my chunky monkey," Ricardo said.

Army Spc. Christopher A. Merville

Spc. Merville

Christopher A. Merville liked nothing better than tramping around Revolutionary and Civil War sites.

"He really loved history," said his uncle, Edwin Merville. "We walked those battlefields out east. His dad was in the Army, which might have had something to do with his signing up and his interest in history."

Merville, 26, of Albuquerque, N.M., died Oct. 12 when his unit came under fire in Baghdad. He was stationed in South Korea, where he became engaged to Renabeth Luis from the Philippines.

He wrote his mother about being promoted and getting better pay.

"Now I can look forward to having a little more saved for when I finally return to American soil. That way I have something to start my foundation as a married man. Yikes!" he wrote.

Merville attended the University of New Mexico and could retain a working knowledge of any language in a few months, said another uncle, Herb Merville. "He spoke German just like a native," he said. "He could pick up other languages so easily. That's why the Army initially recruited him."

Army Spc. Anthony W. Monroe

Spc. Monroe

It was telling that Anthony W. Monroe's boss was much more than a boss. She considered him a member of her own family.

"I couldn't have loved him more if he was my own son," said Judi Mackie, who runs the Pretzel Maker kiosk at Kirkwood Plaza in Bismarck, N.D. "He called me his second mom. Tony was a terrific kid"

Monroe, 20, of Bismarck, died Oct. 11 when rockets hit his camp in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Hood.

"Tony loved Bismarck and really, really loved North Dakota," said Mackie. "But he wanted to get out in the world, and this was a good chance for him to get his education."

Monroe, who graduated high school in 2002, enjoyed photography and aspired to be a photojournalist. In his spare time, he was an avid billiards player and a talented bass guitarist.

"If Tony could have arranged his own funeral, I know it would have been a lot different," said friend Ty Bohe. "He would have wanted us to be partying instead of sitting there crying and singing gospel songs and whatnot. He'd have rock 'n' roll going."

He is survived by his mother, Bernadette.

Army Spc. Jaime Moreno

Before he enlisted, you could always tell when Jaime Moreno was on his way home from work: The sound of Mexican music artist Adan "Chalino" Sanchez would be thumping louder and louder as his SUV neared.

While in Iraq, his family sent him salsa and Mexican sweets, but he brought a lot of Mexican banda music with him that he had downloaded on his computer. It was usually Sanchez, his favorite artist.

Moreno, 28, of Round Lake Beach, Ill., died Oct. 13 of injuries sustained when a bomb exploded near his patrol vehicle in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Hood.

"He used to help people so much," said Moreno's sister Maricela Repizo. "He helped people who didn't speak English, people who needed a ride to the Mexican consulate at three or four in the morning," she said. "He never said no to anyone."

After graduating high school in 1994, he worked as a cook at Red Lobster and Chili's. He wanted to be in the military since he was 5 years old.

"His dreams came true," Repizo said. "That was his dream, to be a soldier."

Moreno is survived by his wife, Alma, and an 8-year-old daughter, Alexis.

Army Staff Sgt. Richard L. Morgan Jr.

Richard L. Morgan Jr. boasted of two families.

One was back home in Ohio, where he drove a truck, rooted for the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians and enjoyed spending time with his wife and their two children.

The other consisted of the soldiers in Iraq, who looked to their sergeant for leadership and friendship as Morgan and his men trundled supplies over perilous roads.

"He loved everything about the military and he loved his country," said Morgan's sister, Bonita Girty. "He's a people person and his unit was very close. They were his family, too."

Morgan, 38, of St. Clairsville, Ohio, died Oct. 5 after his military vehicle struck a land mine at Latfiyah. He was based in Cadiz, Ohio.

A 1984 high school graduate, Morgan served in Panama, Operation Desert Storm and in Germany.

If Morgan had fears as insurgents continue to press the battle, he never expressed them, Girty said.

"He didn't want us to worry about him, he was like that," she said.

He is survived by his wife, Deanna; son, Ricky, 15; and daughter, Kimberly, 12.

Army Spc. Clifford L. Moxley Jr.

Clifford L. Moxley Jr. met his future wife, Jean, at a bar when he asked her to dance. After the song, he said to her, "If you ever decide to settle down with one man, give me a call."

She called him, and they'd been together ever since.

Moxley, 51, of New Castle, Pa., was found dead in his bed near Baghdad on Sept. 25. The death was apparently due to natural causes. He was based in New Castle.

One of his great joys was playing with his grandchildren. During his two-week leave, Moxley made it a point to spend time with them -- even if it meant bouncing on a trampoline. He was served his favorite meal, fried chicken with a side of spaghetti and meat sauce.

In his civilian life, Moxley worked as a packer at Castle Cheese in Slippery Rock. George Myrter, owner of the company, hoped to train Moxley to become a cheesemaker.

In addition to his wife, Moxley is survived by two daughters, Tonia Kozora and Christina Moxley; and a son, Clifford III.

"I've never been alone," his widow said. "Now, after 29 years, I have to be alone."