Marine Lance Cpl. Michael P. Scarborough

Cpl. Scarborough

Michael Scarborough was not intimidated by danger. He volunteered for Force Recon, an elite group trained to do reconnaissance work in some of the world's most dangerous places.

"He was in 13 countries last year," said his father, Mike Scarborough. "He went in after the Bali terrorist attack. He loved what he did."

Michael Scarborough, 28, of Washington, Ga., was among the Marines killed by a car bomb Oct. 30 in Anbar province, Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base, Hawaii.

"We talked to him 10 days ago and he said it's the most dangerous place in the world right now," his father said. "Evidently it was."

Scarborough was about three weeks into his second tour in Iraq.

"He was a fine fellow, he loved to fish and hunt. Just enjoyed life like most young men do," his father said.

The Marine is also survived by his mother, Phyllis Scarborough.

Army Staff Sgt. Michael B. Shackelford

Michael B. Shackelford's rebellious streak once led him to jump a freight train.

He and a friend got on the train at a railroad yard about seven years ago. Before he knew it, it was going pretty fast. So Michael was forced to jump off into a canal.

"He was one of those guys that is like dynamite in a box," said Marine Corps Sgt. Jesse Leech, a friend. "He was always in a good mood. He'd joke about anything."

Shackelford, 25, of Grand Junction, Colo., died Nov. 28 while on patrol in Ramadi. He was stationed at Camp Howze, South Korea.

Nancy Shackelford called her son "My bear man."

"We're Native American, and Mike has very much a personality like a bear, so he's always been our bear man," she said.

Shackelford didn't have to go to Iraq. He had been accepted for Army Special Forces school and was preparing to return to the United States when his unit received orders to deploy to Iraq.

He withdrew his application, telling his mother, "I'm not leaving my men to some sergeant that they don't know. I've trained them. I'm going with them."

He also is survived by his father, Andy.

Marine Lance Cpl. Juan E. Segura

Juan Segura was a regular at the local boxing gym from the time he was a small boy. When he became old enough, he volunteered as a sparring partner and competed in amateur regional tournaments.

Segura's father, Jesus Torres, said he was determined to be a professional boxer, like his father and grandfather in Mexico.

Torres said his son had one request for his expected homecoming in December: "He wanted me to go buy him boxing boots, a robe and gloves. He told me he was ready to become a pro like his dad."

Segura, 26, of Homestead, Fla., died Nov. 9 in fighting with insurgents in Al Anbar Province. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Segura was finishing up his second tour of duty in Iraq. He stunned his family during a visit home on Mother's Day when he said he had volunteered to return to combat.

"The whole time I kept telling him, be safe and come home," his father said. "He would tell me, 'Yeah, yeah, Dad, I am going to be fine."'

Army Sgt. Jonathan B. Shields

Sgt. Shields

In Jonathan B. Shields' last conversation with his wife, he told her did not expect to get out of Iraq alive.

"This is the last time we're going to talk," he told Deanna Shields in an Internet chat. "I'm not coming home from this."

Shields, 25, of Atlanta, died about two weeks later, on Nov. 12, when he was accidentally struck by a tank. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Shields said her husband of less than a year had previously been cheerful and confident in their conversations, but the last one was ominous.

"No, you're coming home!" she said she wrote back.

Deanna Shields said the family had recently moved into a four-bedroom house in Texas, where Jonathan dreamed of one day opening his own restaurant.

Shields' father, Darrell Shields, said his son joined the Army in part to escape the violence of his rough neighborhood in southeast Atlanta. "He didn't want to be a part of that life," he said.

His mother, Evelyn Allen, said her son was constantly on her mind when he was in Iraq.

"I didn't worry because Jonathan told me not to," she said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Abraham Simpson

By high school, you could tell what career Abraham Simpson wanted to pursue: The walls of his room were covered with Marine flags and stickers. He didn't date much because he knew how hard it would be on a girlfriend if he died in combat.

"He wanted to be an influence everywhere he went and he believed God was going to use him in the Marines," said his mother, Maria Simpson.

Simpson, 19, of Chino, Calif., died Nov. 9 during a firefight in the U.S.-led push into Fallujah. A 2003 high school graduate, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

An avid hiker, he arranged to leave for boot camp after taking part in a few important events: Boy Scout camp, a hiking trip in the Sierra mountains and the Eagle Court of Honor ceremonies.

After the Marines, he planned to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. Then he wanted to join the Los Angeles Police Department.

Simpson also is survived by his father, James.

His first dispatch to his parents from Iraq came June 21. "Dear Mom and Dad," it began. "It's hard writing you guys because I don't know what to say. It's like goodbyes."

Army Capt. Sean P. Sims

Capt. Sims

When a student at Seoul American High School in South Korea said last year she was having a hard time caring about the faraway war in Iraq, Michelle Pell decided to make it matter.

Pell, an English teacher, put a sign on her door each day to tally the fatalities. Soon, the war hit even closer to home with the death of Sean P. Sims, a 1990 graduate.

"I've been waiting for this to hit since the war started," Pell said. "It just makes me sick."

Sims, 32, of El Paso, Texas, died Nov. 13 in house-to-house fighting in Fallujah. He was based in Vilseck, Germany.

He was born in Taiwan, grew up at military posts overseas and was a 1994 graduate of Texas A&M, where he was the commanding officer of his outfit and was selected to be a member of the Ross Volunteers, the school's most prestigious honor.

"This was really a kind person, a gentle soul," said Michael O'Brien, a former teacher. "Everyone who went to school with him remembers him."

He is survived by his wife, Heidi, and son, Colin.

"He really believed he was making the world a better place," said his grandmother, Leone Ivey.

Marine Staff Sgt. Russell L. Slay

Russell Slay knew when he told his mother after high school that he was joining the Marines that she wouldn't like it.

Even after 10 years in the service, he was mindful of his mother's feelings. The last time they talked, Donna Slay said he told her "not to watch the television because it's just going to upset you."

The 34-year-old from Humble, Texas, was killed Nov. 9 with seven other troops during a four-day offensive in Fallujah. Slay, stationed at Camp Lejeune, was the 100th Texan to die since military operations in Iraq began.

His family eventually supported his decision to join the service and was proud of his accomplishments.

"He scored among the highest of those taking the entrance exam for the Marines and wanted to make it a career," his mother said.

Slay was also devoted to his two children, Kinlee, 9, and Walker, 5.

"The last time I talked to Russell ... he said, 'I'll call you again on October 1st,' which would be his son's birthday. But I never heard from him again," his mother said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Antoine D. Smith

In high school, Antoine Smith was a quiet kid with the slight stutter who played viola in the school orchestra. But when he returned to school a year after graduation, he was like a different man.

"He was in his Marine uniform," said Jennifer Erickson, who taught Smith in the orchestra. "He had this big smile on his face, and he didn't stutter anymore. He had so much heart, so much pride. I think Antoine had really found what he wanted to do."

Smith, 22, of Orlando, Fla., died Nov. 15 in combat in Anbar Province, which includes Fallujah. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Smith was an only child, and his mother, who raised him alone, sometimes had to struggle to make ends meet. But she worked hard to make sure Antoine stayed on the right path, and Antoine developed a strong work ethic.

"He would work hard for what he wanted," said Paul Waters, an Orlando businessman who befriended Smith at church. "And he wanted to be a Marine."

Army Sgt. Michael A. Smith

Sgt. Smith

Before Michael Antonio Smith left for Iraq, he donated all "all his stuff" to others, said minister Dwight Page.

"I'm talking about good stuff," Page said. "He saw something we didn't see, that people needed it."

Smith, 24, of Camden, Ark., died Nov. 26 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., from injuries received in Baghdad on Nov. 7 from small arms fire. He was based in Texarkana, Ark.

A 1999 high school graduate, Smith planned to return home and attend Southern Arkansas University Tech once he completed his military service, his father said.

Page recalled Smith as "one of the guys."

"He would get along with everybody -- keep on keepin' on," Page said. "You don't find that too much today. I never heard him cuss. He would give the shirt off his back."

He is survived by his parents, Donald Ray Smith and Deborah Smith.

Marine Sgt. Morgan W. Strader

As Marines got ready for the battle of Fallujah, Gary Strader learned that his son had developed a skin condition. If it didn't clear up within two weeks, he was to be sent home.

"I was ecstatic," his father said.

His son, Morgan W. Strader, had another feeling. "He decided he wasn't coming home," his father said. "He said, 'Dad, the guys in my unit aren't experienced in this,"' his father recalled. "'I need to help them."'

Morgan Strader, 23, of Crossville, Ind., died Nov. 12 in Falluja. He was based at Camp Pendleton and was fond of saying, "When Marines die they don't go to heaven. They just go to hell and regroup."

"He was a Marine from the day he was born," his father said. "His grandfather was in the Army during Korea. He latched onto that and loved it."

Strader graduated from high school in 2000 as a member of the track team and wrestling squad. He also joined the cross country team to get into shape for the Marines.

"He was a responsible kid. He was the most loyal kid I have known. He was heart and soul to anything he was involved with," said his former English teacher Angela Bradley.

Marine Lance Cpl. James E. Swain

Cpl. Swain

James Swain didn't have to go to Iraq. But he believed in doing what needed to be done, so he volunteered to leave his post in Japan for the Middle East.

"He was never one to hide," said Dave Peters, a scoutmaster who knew Swain for 10 years. "Whatever needed to be done, he was going to do it."

Swain, 20, of Kokomo, Ind., was killed Nov. 15 by small arms fire in the Anbar Province of Iraq.

The son of an Army medic and grandson of a Marine, Swain was a life scout who was equally at home on his high school's theater stage as he was on the sidelines. As a statistician for the basketball team, he learned a 30-page computer manual in days and taught others how to computerize statistics.

The 6-foot-tall redhead, who enlisted in the Marines after graduating in 2002, hoped someday to be a criminal profiler for the CIA or FBI.

"I've always been afraid this would happen," said friend Joe Klemann, who met Swain in high school. "But he knew what was going on in Iraq and he went voluntarily."

Marine Cpl. Lance M. Thompson

Cpl. Thompson

During Lance M. Thompson's time in Iraq, he saw both the ridiculous and the profound.

At one point, he found himself sitting in Saddam Hussein's abandoned hot tub. At another, he saw the bodies of a young mother clutching a small child in a mass grave.

"He saw that and thought he was doing the right thing," said his father, Gregory Thompson said.

Lance Thompson, 21, of Upland, Ind., was killed Nov. 15 in an explosion in Ramadi. He was based at Camp Pendleton and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq.

"He made a comment to me in an e-mail in October," Greg Thompson said. "It was better to be fighting terrorists in a foreign land than in the streets of New York or Chicago."

Thompson graduated high school in 2001 and joined the Marines a few months later. "Lance's motto was 'gung-ho,' and he wanted to keep going," said Matt Dalton, Thompson's stepbrother.

He also is survived by his wife, Dawn.

Dalton said he knows Lance is looking down on him. "When I'm working the streets, patrolling as a Deputy Sheriff and as a firefighter, I know he's going to be my guardian angel," he said.

Army Spc. Quoc Binh Tran

Spc. Tran

As a young man, Quoc Binh Tran wasn't into sports or school in particular. His hobby was cars. When they broke down, he loved to get under the hood.

That's not to mean he was any good at fixing them.

"He made them worse," admitted his sister, Kristie.

Tran, 26, of Mission Viejo, Calif., died Nov. 7 after the vehicle he was riding in was struck by a roadside bomb outside Baghdad. He was based at San Bernardino.

"He was a hands-on kind of guy," said Tran's other sister, Katie, 23. "He would try anything, often even until it hurt him. He was a loving person but very independent and one who would go into anything and not think twice about it."

Tran graduated from high school in 1994 and attended Saddleback Community College, where he studied to become a mechanical engineer.

Tran liked to go shopping in exotic places and mail presents home to his mother; in September, she received a teapot. When he was home, he would insist on paying for meals for his family.

"He is the most generous person," said Katie.

He is survived by his parents, Van Tran and Thu Truong Tran.

Army Sgt. John B. Trotter

John Trotter helped recover bodies from the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, an experience that spurred him to re-enlist in the Army.

"He pulled horribly burned bodies out of the rubble, and that scarred him," said his older brother, Fred. "He went in knowing where he was going. He had a motivation for justice -- he wanted to honor the friends he lost on Sept. 11 by going to Iraq."

Trotter, 25, of Marble Falls, Texas, was killed Nov. 9 when his patrol came under small arms fire. His unit was based in Korea.

Trotter was scheduled to attend a meeting at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, in the part of the building where one of the hijacked planes crashed. His meeting was moved, though, and Trotter was about a mile away when the plane struck. He spent several ensuing days helping to recover bodies from the rubble.

His devotion to country moved his older brother to join the Marines.

"I felt I needed to follow in his steps, even though I was five years older," said Fred Trotter.

Fred Trotter attended his brother's memorial in his Marine dress blues.

Army Pfc. Wilfredo F. Urbina

Pfc. Urbina

For his mother's birthday, Wilfredo F. Urbina sent fond wishes from Iraq.

"He sent me the last postcard for my birthday and he said everything over there was OK," said Jeanette Urbina. "It said, 'Don't worry Momma, please take care of yourself."'

Urbina, 29, died on Nov. 29 when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

He was based in New York and lived in Baldwin, N.Y., with his parents and younger sister directly behind the firehouse where he was a volunteer firefighter for six years. Firehouse Captain Ed Colon said Urbina was always the first man dressed and ready to go in an emergency.

"He took his duties real seriously and he did what he had to do," Colon said. "But he always made everybody laugh in the firehouse."

Urbina's other passion was the military, and he served about four years in the Air Force before joining the National Guard around 1999.

"He very much enjoyed the structure, that was my brother," said Urbina's younger sister, Jeanin. "Ever since he was young he loved helping out people."

Urbina is also survived by his father, Agustin.