Army Staff Sgt. Kyle A. Eggers

Sgt. Eggers

Kyle Eggers was gregarious, with a penchant for practical jokes.

"He always had that smiling look on his face," said his father, Keith Eggers. "He would do anything to help anybody."

Eggers, 27, of Euless, Texas, was killed Dec. 5 when his vehicle was hit by a makeshift bomb in Habbaniyah. He was assigned to Camp Greaves, Korea.

Eggers was a cross country runner in high school and became a career soldier to honor his country and his grandfather, a World War II veteran, his father said.

Eggers enlisted after graduating from high school and served for nine years in the Army, including four years at the Yakima, Wash., Training Center.

He leaves a wife, Jennifer, a Yakima reserve firefighter, and three sons, twins 2 1/2 years old and the youngest 11 months.

Army Staff Sgt. Donald B. Farmer

In his last e-mail to his teenage daughter, Army Staff Sgt. Donald "Bernard" Farmer promised to send money for Christmas.

"I told him we loved him and can't wait for him to come home," said his daughter, Charon, 16. "That was the last contact I had with him."

Farmer, 33, of Zion, Ill., was killed along with another soldier Dec. 19 in Shuaybah, Kuwait when he was struck by a vehicle while changing a flat tire. He was based at Fort Hood.

Farmer was a high school football and track standout who joined the Marines after attending college for two years in North Dakota. He joined the Army in 1995 -- the same year he married his childhood sweetheart, Shonda, whom he met in elementary school.

"He was my buddy," she said. "He was just an easygoing person. He was very funny. He loved his children."

He also leaves a son, Da'Shaun, 8, and a stepdaughter, Darion Nash, 12.

Farmer had served in Iraq last year but assured his mother he would be safer in Kuwait.

"He said, 'Mom, what's going to happen is going to happen,"' Gwendolyn Farmer said. "He died doing what he likes to do."

Army Sgt. Damien T. Ficek

Sgt. Ficek

Even as a child, Damien Ficek was unfailingly polite.

"The first question out of his mouth would be, 'How are you?' That's what he would say, not anything about himself," said his aunt, Joani Dufourd.

Ficek, 26, of Pullman, Wash., was killed Dec. 30 by small arms fire in Baghdad. He was based in Spokane, Wash. and leaves a wife, Kyla.

Ficek liked physical action. He was on his high school football team and wrestling squad and rode BMX bikes for fun. He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in 1996.

Ficek joined the National Guard in 2002, the same year he started attending Washington State University. He made the honor roll as he studied athletic training, but withdrew from classes in 2003 when his unit was activated.

In an e-mail to his friend, Brian Lynott, two weeks before he died, Ficek said he was looking forward to returning home and starting a family.

"The world has lost a very, very promising person in Damien Ficek," Dufourd said. "He was a giver. He was not so much focused on his own destiny but on how he could affect people around him."

Army Sgt. David M. Fisher

David Fisher played football and basketball in high school, and those who knew him remember him as always upbeat, with a smile on his face.

"He was so funny. He always had something to say," said friend Lindsay Edwards. "He was good at anything he put his mind to."

Fisher, 21, of Watervliet, N.Y., died Dec. 1 when the Humvee in which he was riding overturned. His National Guard unit was stationed at Newburgh, N.Y.

Fisher enlisted in the National Guard in November 2001 after graduating from high school. His captain, Mark Walsh, said he remembered Fisher's grin.

"He was smiling so much I thought he was up to no good," Walsh said. "Apparently, it was just the opposite."

Fisher is survived by his father, John Fisher, and mother, Victoria DiMura.

Army Sgt. Cari A. Gasiewicz

Sgt. Gasiewicz

Cari Gasiewicz planned to spend Christmas in Kuwait before going home early in the new year for a belated celebration with her family.

"The presents were all there but they were going to stay wrapped until she got back," said her uncle, Marty Gasiewicz.

But the 28-year-old from Cheektowaga, N.Y., died when bombs exploded on the convoy that was transporting her from Iraq to Kuwait on the first leg of her journey home. She was stationed at Fort Gordon.

Gasiewicz's job was to speak with Iraqis about their feelings on the war and America's presence in their country. She hoped to work for the FBI or CIA after leaving the military.

"She loved the military, and she loved working as an interpreter," her uncle said.

She is survived by her parents, Paul and Kathleen.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Todd C. Gibbs

Sgt. Gibbs

Since Todd C. Gibbs' death, his brother Bret has been getting calls that all seem to echo the same words: "Todd was the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back."

Gibbs, 37, of Lufkin, Texas, was killed Dec. 7 by an improvised explosive device. His unit was stationed at Camp Greaves in Korea.

Gibbs graduated from high school in 1986 and earned a criminal justice degree from Sam Houston State University. He decided to enlist soon afterward.

Bret Gibbs said his brother was still mourning the death of his friend, Staff Sgt. Kyle A. Eggers, 27, of Euless. Eggers died two days before Gibbs.

"Todd had been real distraught about that," said Bret Gibbs. "I think he was real worried about that gentleman's family."

Gibbs is survived by his wife, Melissa. The couple have two children.

Army Pfc. George Daniel Harrison

Pfc. Harrison

For his 35th birthday, Doug Harrison took his son Daniel with him to get their ears pierced.

"Daniel was so nervous he almost passed out," Doug Harrison said. "He was white as a sheet."

But the Knoxville, Tenn.-native apparently got over his squeamishness. He started collecting tattoos and recently added the name of a comrade who died in Iraq.

Daniel Harrison, 22, was killed Dec. 2 in hostile fire in Mosul. He was stationed at Fort Stewart.

Harrison joined the military after a brief stint at Pellissippi State Technical Community College. He told his father he wanted to become a law enforcement officer.

Easygoing and goofy, Harrison could always be counted on for a surprise -- like the day he came home on leave in July, taking an early flight so he could show up unannounced on the family's doorstep.

He loved music and happily sang off-key.

"He would always sing 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' really badly," recalled Patrick Meburst, 21, a high school friend.

Army Spc. Cory M. Hewitt

Cory M. Hewitt was easy to recognize during college football games.

When the horn sounded to signal the end of the second quarter, Hewitt scrambled to unstrap his shoulder pads, grabbed his trombone and joined the band on the field for the halftime show.

When the final note sounded, Hewitt strapped on the pads again for the second half.

"That's what a lot of people will remember him for," said Raymond Hewitt, his father. "That was Cory. He did it all."

Hewitt, 26, of Stewart, Tenn., died Dec. 21 in an attack on a mess hall near Mosul. He was based at Fort Polk.

Hewitt graduated cum laude in 2001 from West Liberty State College in West Virginia.

"He loved to read. When you watched 'Jeopardy!' with him, he'd beat the contestants on the show. I'd always say, 'How did you know that?"' Raymond Hewitt remembered.

Cory Hewitt also is survived by his mother, Judy.

Raymond Hewitt said his son's last contact with his family was an e-mail to his sister. "Most of the letter was about how busy he was and how he got to watch the Steelers-Giants game. He was critiquing the game," he said. "That sounds like Cory."

Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Hillenburg

Cpl. Hillenburg

Despite fierce fighting in Fallujah, Eric Hillenburg paused long enough for one call home. He scrambled up to a rooftop with a satellite phone.

"Right before he hung up he said Merry Christmas," said the Rev. Jerry Hillenburg, Eric's father.

Hillenburg, 21, of Avon, Ind., was killed Dec. 23 by small-arms fire in Fallujah. A 2001 high school graduate, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

The news of Eric's death came the same day the Hillenburg family was dealing with the hospitalization of another son, who had surgery for a kidney ailment. Evin, 19, a Marine reservist, was released from the hospital after a successful procedure.

The Hillenburgs' military history likely inspired Eric to join the military. Jerry Hillenburg -- himself a former soldier -- said his family served in every conflict since the Civil War. His son, he said, was the first to die in combat.

"When I see that flag flying from now on it will mean more to me than ever before," he said. "When I see a young man in uniform, he will be my son."

Hillenburg also is survived by his mother, Pam.

Army Spc. Robert W. Hoyt

Robert W. Hoyt yelled to his buddies that he loved them all as they carried him on a stretcher to a waiting helicopter.

They figured Hoyt was going home to recover from wounds he sustained when a bomb detonated near his convoy in Baghdad, that he'd welcome them all home in the spring.

Within a few hours, they learned they'd never see him again.

"I hate it. I hate it," said Sgt. Charles McDonald. "We thought he was going to make it. He was fighting."

Hoyt, 21, of Ashford, Conn., died Dec. 11. He was based in Bristol, Conn.

Steve Pozzato, one of his best friends, said he, Hoyt and Hoyt's brother grew up together. The three boys played with Legos, graduated to video games, and as teens formed a rock band called Clarion.

"I'm going to mourn him as my brother," Pozzato said.

Hoyt was a 2001 high school graduate. English teacher Pat Baruzzi said Hoyt would write often about his family, especially his mother. "He always had the desire to do the right thing," she said. "He was the strong, silent type."

Hoyt is survived by his parents, Kathleen and Thomas.

Army Staff Sgt. Henry E. Irizarry

Sgt. Irizarry

After a brief meeting with his future wife Jessica, Henry E. Irizarry pestered a mutual friend for weeks to get together with her again. Finally, the friend passed on Henry's number and she agreed to dinner -- and soon became entranced with his green eyes.

"When he met his wife, he changed his ways a bit and became a family man," said Sgt. 1st Class Raul Colon Jr., who knew Irizarry for 15 years. "He loved his wife. He loved his kids."

Irizarry, 38, of Waterbury, Conn., died in a bomb explosion on Dec. 3. His National Guard unit is located in New York City.

Irizarry was a factory worker and 20-year veteran who was looking forward to retirement. Born in Puerto Rico, Irizarry moved to the Bronx with his family when he was 7, his wife said.

Colon knew Irizarry for 15 years and remembers catching baseball games and parties early in their friendship.

The family moved to Connecticut in 1997 in search of an easier life, Jessica Irizarry said. They were married for seven years and had four children and a stepdaughter.

In his final letter from Iraq, Henry Irizarry told his wife to make plans for a family Christmas because he was coming home on leave.

Army Capt. William W. Jacobsen Jr.

Capt. Jacobsen

When he shipped out to Iraq, William Jacobsen promised the 174 soldiers in his company that he would do what he could to bring them all back alive.

Instead, Jacobsen, 31, was killed on Dec. 21 in the apparent suicide bombing of a mess tent in Mosul, Iraq. It was his ninth wedding anniversary.

The Charlotte, N.C., native leaves four children between the ages of 2 and 8.

A 6-foot-5 adventurer, Jacobsen ran two marathons, went rappelling and took surfing lessons in Hawaii. He met his wife, Riika, when the two were Mormon missionaries.

Jacobsen graduated from Brigham Young University in 1998 and taught a Sunday School class before he deployed from Fort Lewis. At a memorial service in Mosul, his commander called him "the most complete man I have had the honor and privilege to have enter and touch my life."

Jacobsen called home once a week and sent e-mail often. Two or three days before he was killed, he managed to borrow a Web camera from a colleague so he could interact with his family live from their computer.

"The kids were waving," his wife said. "And he was waving back."

Army Staff Sgt. Robert S. Johnson

Sgt. Johnson

Robert Johnson turned down an opportunity to join his father's heating and air-conditioning business in order to enlist in the Army.

"My son was a stand-up guy," said his father, Peter. "He wanted to help the country, but he didn't make a big deal about it. He always did what was required, and more."

Johnson, 23, of Castro Valley, Calif., was killed Dec. 21 in the apparent suicide bombing of a mess hall in Mosul, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Lewis.

Johnson enlisted at 18 and went to Korea before serving in Iraq. He loved sports, dancing, watching action movies, building computers and music -- from classical to hip-hop. "He just couldn't stand still," his father said.

He was a stickler for detail who used to take 30 minute showers and keep his clothes neat and orderly even before he joined the Army.

In his last e-mail to his mother, Johnson sounded uncharacteristically emotional: "I just want to say that I love you. I know I'm not the nicest son in the world. But I do love you and I do realize what a difficult time it was trying to provide for us growing up, so no matter how cold I am sometimes, just know that I still care and you're still my mom. Love, Robert."