Marine Cpl. Nathaniel T. Hammond

Nathaniel Hammond

Nathaniel Hammond was a certified flight instructor who received language training in Arabic before being deployed to Iraq.

Hammond graduated from Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in 2003 and his father, Tom Hammond, said he wanted to re-enlist in the Marines and return to Iraq as a pilot.

"He wanted to fly Apache helicopters," he said.

Hammond, 24, of Tulsa, was killed Nov. 8 in an attack. His Marine reserve unit was based in Chicago.

Hammond, who grew up in Springfield, Mo., was scheduled to return home in March when his 6-year commitment to the Marines was to end.

Tom Hammond said his son told his family that despite the ongoing insurgency, most of his conversations with Iraqis were positive.

Tom Hammond said family members got a letter from his son two days before he was killed. In it, he said he put himself in God's hands.

"We know he is in heaven," Tom Hammond said. "We miss him. We love him."

Marine Lance Cpl. Michael W. Hanks

Michael Hanks had a reputation in high school for standing up for himself -- and his friends.

That reputation stuck through two tours in Iraq, where he was known as a joker who was always willing to keep up morale.

"He was always standing up for the guys there," said Melissa Gladstone, his sister. "He had everyone's back -- that sums it up."

Hanks, 22, of Gregory, Mich., was killed Nov. 17 in an attack outside Fallujah. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Ed Alverson, the superintendent of the school Hanks attended, described him as a "high-energy kid" who had always wanted to serve in the military.

Don Buggia, his high school principal, agreed and said he was not surprised that Hanks joined the Marines -- or volunteered for a second tour.

"Once he made up his mind on something, he stuck with it," Buggia said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Charles A. Hanson Jr.

Cpl. Hanson

Charles A. Hanson Jr. did not agree with America's involvement in Iraq, but he was a loyal Marine and he hoped to become an instructor with the service after attending college.

"He was incredible, absolutely incredible," said his sister, Shyia Sumner. He was "a great guy with a lot of friends."

Hanson, 22, of Panacea, Fla., was killed by a roadside bomb Nov. 28. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

Hanson had been awarded a Purple Heart when he was injured in a similar roadside bombing about four months ago. His sister said Hanson was as a "guardian angel" who helped secure an area before other troops moved in.

Sumner said Hanson loved to hunt, fish and explore caves where the family gathered the summer in Missouri.

"I really had a special liking for Charles. He was extremely amiable and always polite," said Hossein Achtchi, who taught Hanson at an alternative education school.

He is survived by his mother, Dana Hanson.

Army Spc. Erik W. Hayes

Erik W. Hayes was looking forward to getting home from war, but not for the usual reasons. Awaiting him from a hospital bed was his brother, Bradley, who had been badly injured in a car accident two years ago.

"All Erik wanted was to come home and help his brother," said Hayes' aunt, Karen Thurley. "He was only supposed to have four months left. He just wanted to be able to be with Bradley."

Eric Hayes, 24, of Cascade, Md., died Nov. 29 in Miqdadiyah when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was stationed at Vilseck, Germany.

After graduating from high school in 1998, Erik had jobs that ranged from electrical work to working on a dairy farm, said his father, Douglas Hayes. "Erik could do anything," he said. "He was artistic. He could draw like you couldn't believe. He was a good son."

He joined the Army five days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In Sept. 2002, his brother Bradley received severe head injuries in a fiery vehicle crash near his home and remains in a semiconscious state.

"Erik loved him with all his heart," said their father.

He also is survived by his mother, Deborah Reckley.

Marine Sgt. Christopher T. Heflin

Christopher Heflin had long dreamed about joining the Marines, and waited just five days after graduating from high school to sign up.

He told his mother why: "To serve my country," Meleasa Ellis recalled him saying. "I was the one who had the fear -- not him."

A high school football coach said Heflin, 26, of Paducah, Ky., was a leader on the team.

"He worked as hard or harder than anybody," said the coach, Jeff Sturm. "The kids respected him and the coaches respected him."

Heflin, who had been stationed at Camp Pendleton, died Nov. 16 in action in Iraq's Anbar province.

The Rev. Larry Davidson, who baptized Heflin in 1992 at Mt. Zion Church in West Paducah, said Heflin loved his four-wheeler, which he called his "country Cadillac."

"He just had a sweet spirit about him," Davidson said.

Marine Cpl. Joseph J. Heredia

Joseph Heredia ran track, played football and was a member of Future Farmers of America in high school, but he couldn't wait to graduate and join the Marines.

"He was a leader," said David Parker, Heredia's agricultural economics teacher. "I think of him in class being so excited to graduate and go into the military to serve his country."

Heredia, 22, of Santa Maria, Calif., died in a military hospital in Germany on Nov. 20 from injuries he received in an explosion a day earlier in fighting in Iraq.

Heredia, whose unit was stationed at Camp Pendleton, was two months into his second tour of combat duty when he died.

His wife Natalia, whom he met in high school, said he joined the Marines soon after graduation and had recently re-enlisted to stay with his unit and return to Iraq.

"We're heartbroken by what happened," said his father-in-law, Isaac Berumen.

Marine Lance Cpl. Erick J. Hodges

Cpl. Hodges

Erick Hodges' family discovered he was fighting in Fallujah when they saw his picture in a a newspaper, preparing for battle.

"It was good and bad," to see the photograph, said his mother, Marina Beyer. "It was exciting to see him looking good and in one piece... The bad part was knowing they were all about to go into battle."

Hodges, 21, of Bay Point, Calif., was killed in a hostile attack Nov. 10, two days after his birthday. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Hodges joined the Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks while he was still in high school. "He had a big heart and he wanted people to be happy," said his cousin, Sonya Graham.

He had told his family he did not want to return to Iraq for his second stint.

"He believed in what we were doing over there," said his father, Erick P. Hodges. "It's just that he didn't want to leave his family again."

Marine Staff Sgt. Theodore S. Holder II

As a young boy, Theodore Holder II used to wrestle his sister and she would win. But by the time he graduated from high school, Holder was ready to be a Marine.

"We were worried for him," said Rebecca Holder-Otte, Holder's sister. "But it was something he wanted to do. ... I just want everyone to know what a special person he was. ... The world was much better with him in it."

Holder, 27, of Littleton, Colo., died Nov. 11 in a hostile attack. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Despite the dangers Holder faced -- his job in Iraq was to enter hostile territory and sweep for roadside bombs -- Holder maintained his sense of humor.

In a birthday card he sent to his sister for her birthday, Holder deadpanned: "It's nice here in Iraq."

Holder-Otte suspected her brother's mundane phone calls home -- in which he talked about day-to-day things and said he was bored -- were really designed to allay his mother's fears.

"I think he said a lot of things to make my mom feel better," she said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jeffery S. Holmes

Jeffery S. Holmes wasn't among the best players on his high school football team, coach Mike Stone said. But the Marine had other, more precious, gifts.

"He was a good-natured guy," Stone said. "He was a pretty popular kid, happy-go-lucky kid. He was one of those kids you remember."

The 20-year-old from White River Junction, Vt., was killed on Thanksgiving in Iraq's Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.

At 6-feet, 2-inches, Holmes felt he was too tall to fly Air Force fighter jets, so he joined the Marines instead, his parents recalled.

"He wanted to fight for his country. He's always believed in it," Patti Holmes said of her son. "He always said if he dies over there, he died doing what he wanted to do."

Survivors also include his father, Scott Holmes.

Marine Lance Cpl. David B. Houck

In the midst of the battle for Mosul's airport, David B. Houck found a rose growing in the rubble. He enclosed petals in a letter he sent his mother.

"It seems strange that beauty can be found in the midst of chaos," he wrote.

In later e-mails, he discussed how he had killed others: "It's kind of strange how something that I've been trained to do can sit so heavily on my mind."

Houck, 25, of Winston Salem, N.C., died Nov. 26 while fighting in Anbar Province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

"David was just a spark of life and joy wherever he went," said his father, Robert Houck. "Wherever you went, he would bring life and liveliness and joy and happiness."

He graduated from high school in 1998. After a rootless few years, his parents were happy when David called to ask if they could store his belongings. He was joining the Marines.

"I was overjoyed," Robert Houck said. "He had no direction. He had been floundering and working at UPS at night and delivering furniture during the day, wearing himself out."

He also is survived by his mother, Beth, and 1-year-old daughter, Chloe.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jared P. Hubbard

Cpl. Hubbard

If you were being picked on by bullies in high school, your wisest move was befriending Jared P. Hubbard. A football player and wrestler, Hubbard wouldn't stand for it.

"Jared was their protector," said Jeff Hubbard, his father. "If Jared was your friend, you didn't have to worry about anybody picking on you. Whatever needed to be done, people knew you couldn't mess with Jared."

Hubbard, 22, of Clovis, Calif., died Nov. 4 in a bomb explosion near Ramadi. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

A 2001 high school graduate, Hubbard enjoyed hiking and rock-climbing, watching "The Simpsons" and going out for sushi.

He died alongside his childhood friend, Jeremiah Baro. Both enlisted in the Marines together, trained to be snipers together and were buried side by side.

Hubbard also is survived by his mother, Peggy.

"He looked out for family and looked out for friends," said his brother Nathan. "He was always trying to make people's days better, always had a smile on his face."

Army Staff Sgt. Sean P. Huey

Sean Huey was such a huge Penn State fan that he thought of the school's football coach when it came time to name his newborn son, Joey.

"He named him after Joe Paterno," says his mother, Kathleen Huey. "He is all the way a Penn State fan."

Huey, 28, of Fredericktown, Pa., was killed on Nov. 11 when an explosive device went off near his Humvee. He had been stationed at Camp Greaves, Korea.

His mother refused her son's request to sign him up for the Army when he was just 17, but he enlisted on his own in 1995 while in his senior year of high school.

Huey's wife, Heather, and their 11-month-old son moved to North Carolina to be near her parents when Huey went to Iraq. He was mulling a $15,000 offer to re-enlist when he was killed, his sister-in-law said.

"He was a happy-go-lucky person, carefree, who enjoyed life and enjoyed people. He especially enjoyed his son," Jennifer Huey said. "He's just a baby, with a baby of his own."

Army Pfc. Isaiah R. Hunt

Isaiah Hunt at first balked at the idea of joining the Army and didn't want to leave his new girlfriend to go to Iraq. But the military gave him a newfound maturity.

"He grew up in a short period of time," said his father, Mike Hunt, a former Green Bay Packer. "He was proud but he was also scared. You could tell that from his e-mail."

Hunt, 20, of Suamico, Wis., died Nov. 15 in the arms of his commander after he was thrown from a vehicle in an accident in Iraq. He was based at Fort Bragg.

Hunt was always concerned about the well-being of other people, particularly his family. "He was a caregiver; he just wanted everything to be OK and everyone to be happy," said his mother, Pam Hunt.

Mike Hunt said his son resisted the idea of joining the Army but reconsidered and joined up after graduating from high school. Pam Hunt said her son wasn't "philosophically motivated by patriotism" but wanted to better himself.

"He was looking forward to making money going to college, getting a car -- pretty typical goals," she said.

Army 1st Lt. Edward D. Iwan

1st Lt. Iwan

Edward Iwan saw the military as a career, and after serving as an enlisted man he earned a college degree and returned to Army life as a commissioned officer.

"It was a service and dedication thing to him," said his mother, Donna Iwan. "He felt there were people in need, who needed to be helped."

Iwan, 28, of Albion, Neb., died when a grenade struck his vehicle on Nov. 12. He was stationed in Germany.

Iwan had joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1994. He served three years as an enlisted man and then studied criminal justice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After graduation, he rejoined the Army in December 2001 as a 2nd Lieutenant.

Iwan, who previously served in Kosovo, felt the army's goals were essentially humanitarian -- to ensure safety and peace, Donna Iwan said.

"He believed in the career of a soldier in protection and peace -- protection of the weak," she said.

Marine Cpl. William C. James

William C. James dreamed of military service even as a little boy, when he saluted soldiers marching in Fourth of July parades. After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, he asked to be sent into combat, his sister said.

"He was our big brother and we all just looked up to him," Lynn Booth said. "He had the prettiest smile. They used to call him the 'Cheshire Cat.' He loved talking about the places he'd been, the things he'd done."

The 24-year-old rifleman from Huntington Beach, Calif., was killed Nov. 9 in Iraq's Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.

James spoke of staying with the Marine Corps long term, and he also talked about marrying his girlfriend, Mira Massimino, whom he met while stationed in Africa.

In his last e-mail home, sent a few weeks before his death, James said he was going to a place where he would be unable to write home or even take a shower for 10 days at a time.

While the military provided no further information, Anbar province includes the city of Fallujah, where U.S. forces were fighting to oust insurgents.

Survivors include his parents.

Marine Sgt. Romulo J. Jimenez II

Romulo Jimenez liked to show off his tattoos -- he had flames climbing up one of his arms -- and talk to his fellow Marines about his 1992 Ford Mustang.

In the days before the battle in Fallujah, Jimenez called his sister, Katherine, to ask that she fix up the interior of his Mustang before he got home.

"Make it look real nice," he told her.

Jimenez, 21, of Miami, died Nov. 10 by sniper fire in Fallujah. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

Known as R.J., Jimenez loved playing war games as a youngster and became an avid deer hunter during his upbringing in West Virginia. He enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school in 2001.

"You can tell by the way he would always wear (military) uniforms and loved guns that he was born to be a soldier," said his father, Romulo Jimenez Sr.

Jimenez said his son came home between tours of duty, from November to June. He said he didn't talk much about his experience in Iraq, except to complain about the food.