Army Spc. Craig L. Nelson

Spc. Nelson

When Craig Nelson was in kindergarten, his teacher called to thank his mother for the nice wooden spoon he brought to school.

"He had wrapped it up and given it to her so I did not have that to pop him with," Lois Jo Nelson said. "He was always playing jokes. He was the life of the party."

Nelson, 21, of Bossier City, La., died Dec. 29 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., of injuries sustained in a Dec. 16 explosion in Baghdad. He was based in Shreveport, La.

His friend and high school classmate, Spc. Ryan Jacobsen, helped administer first aid after the explosion.

Nelson was a dedicated soldier who said he would volunteer with another unit if he weren't mobilized. But he didn't stop his hijinks after joining the Army -- he once showed up at a farewell for his former platoon leader in a silver Elvis jumpsuit, wig and sideburns.

"He was the type of person that could tell if you were down, and would do whatever it took to make you happy again," Jacobsen said.

Nathaniel Nyren's 8-year-old daughter, Brooke, mailed him a teddy bear dressed in military fatigues last spring in Iraq with the recorded words: "You're the best Daddy in the world."

"It was a very, very close relationship her and her dad shared," said Nyren's ex-wife, Courtney Nyren. "She idolized him."

Nyren, 31, of Reston, Va., died Dec. 29 in a vehicle collision. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Nyren was a high school wrestler, avid golfer and "all-around sports guy," Courtney Nyren said. He attended Virginia Tech and Northern Virginia Community College before settling on the Army.

Nyren's stepmother, Julie, said the military appealed to a sense of order he honed as a Boy Scout. She said he also hoped it would help him to get out of debt.

Julie Nyren said her stepson was a quick wit who packed a big heart into a 5-foot-6 frame.

"He was really a nice person that took a lot of teasing and ribbing from other folks because of his size," she said. "But they liked him all the better for it because he was able to take it. He'd tease right back."

Nyren is also survived by a second wife, Rebecca Nyren.

Army Sgt. Maj. Robert D. O'Dell

The Army won't discuss Robert O'Dell's classified work in Iraq -- but no one hesitates to describe the kind of man he was.

"He was a brave and courageous individual ... doing a job that needed to be done," said Deborah Y. Parker, spokeswoman for the Army Intelligence and Security Command.

O'Dell, 38, of Manassas, Va., died Dec. 21 in the apparent suicide bombing at a mess tent on an Army base in Mosul, Iraq.

O'Dell leaves his wife, Cynthia, and three children, all younger than five.

O'Dell joined the Army in 1985 and was an expert in communications and performed intelligence work, attached to INSCOM's headquarters unit at Fort Belvoir.

He served overseas numerous times and his work was believed to involve operating systems used to send and receive classified communications. "A lot of what he was doing involves work that was not out in the open," Parker said.

Army Staff Sgt. Todd D. Olson

Sgt. Olson

Todd D. Olson was an agricultural loan officer who took his job to heart. Even after he was deployed, he asked bank employees to keep him in the loop with his customers.

"That tells you the depth of his commitment, they were always on his mind," said Al Nystrom, president of the Marshfield group of M&I Bank. "He had a high sense of loyalty to his clients."

Olson, 36, of Loyal, Wis., died Dec. 27 when his patrol was hit by a bomb in Samarra. He was based in Neillsville, Wis.

Dan Gluch, who knew Olson since they were in kindergarten and was his roommate at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, said his main worry before his unit shipped out was about the younger soldiers.

"He said, 'You know, Dan, I've lived a good life. I'm a lucky man... I have four kids at home, a wife I love, and a job I love and a community I'm part of, but then it hit me that those kids haven't lived."'

Olson worked as a vice president and an agricultural loan officer at M&I Bank at the Loyal and Neillsville branches. He often worked with dairy farmers.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; three sons and a daughter.

Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello

Cpl. Parrello

Brian Parrello planned to become a history teacher one day -- but he decided after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to first become a Marine.

"He was going to postpone going to college," high school principal Michael McCormick said. "He probably took every elective history course we have in the school."

Parrello, 19, of West Milford, N.J., was killed Jan. 1 in a hostile attack.

Parrello was an athlete since childhood, playing Little League baseball and then football and hockey in high school. Sean Poppe, his football coach, said Parrello had a strong desire to excel and a "tremendous attitude and spirit."

"Whatever he did, he did with feeling, emotion and energy," said his hockey coach, Steve Frey. "He was a fiery kind of guy. Whatever he did, he did with a lot of intensity."

Parrello had thought about joining the service for several years but the Sept. 11 attacks made up his mind, his brother said.

"He knew then he would probably be shipped overseas if he joined," Matthew Parrello said. "But he didn't care. He wanted to do this."

He is also survived by his parents, Nino and Shirley.

Marine Lance Cpl. Neil D. Petsche

Neil D. Petsche's crowning achievement came on Sept. 8, 2001, when he became an Eagle Scout. In the days after the terror attacks, he took his patriotism a step further and joined the Marines.

"Neil was the fourth generation of military members in his family," his parents said in a statement. "He had successfully completed one tour in Iraq and wanted to go back to 'finish the job we started and because we are making a difference."'

Petsche, 21, of Lena, Ill., died Dec. 21 when his Humvee rolled over. He was based in Twentynine Palms.

Assistant scoutmaster Robert Boyd said Petsche earned 28 merit badges, including the mile swim, and enjoyed helping the younger scouts in the troop. For his Eagle Scout project, Petsche repaired a stone grotto outside Lena's St. Joseph Catholic Church.

He is survived by his parents, David and Carol Petsche.

Marine Lance Cpl. James R. Phillips

Cpl. Phillips

James R. Phillips couldn't wait to return to his two great loves: his family and his car.

His family couldn't wait for him to get back, either, postponing celebrations for Christmas and Thanksgiving. "You're not going to miss out on anything," his mother told him.

Phillips, 21, of Plant City, Fla., died Dec. 23 during the assault on Fallujah. He was based at Camp Pendleton and hoped to pursue a career in law enforcement.

"He went from baby to boy to Marine," said Ronald Tew, a lifelong friend. "Everyone loved him. He will be missed."

Phillips graduated high school in 2001 and his father said he loved to fish, hunt, ride four-wheelers and work on his car -- a poppy orange 1965 Ford Mustang.

Rachel Cundiff, a friend of Phillips' since both were eighth-graders, said he was always upbeat and would shower her with kind words that brightened her day.

"He was an awesome person to be around," she said.

Phillips is survived by his parents, Mike and Lisa. Next Christmas, the Phillipses said they will put up a tree and ornaments to celebrate James' life.

Army Staff Sgt. Lynn R. Poulin Sr.

Sgt. Poulin

Lynn R. Poulin Sr.'s abilities to make things out of next-to-nothing were well known around town.

"He was the MacGyver of the neighborhood, that's what he was," said Dot Waterman, a neighbor who had known him since he was a child.

She recalled Poulin coming up the road for a visit, usually smelling of chain saw oil and cigarettes, sawdust in his hair and a smile on his face. He also was always willing to extend help to others.

"He would have had to be incapacitated not to help you," she said.

Poulin, 47, of Freedom, Maine, was killed Dec. 21 during an attack on a dining hall in Mosul. He was based at Belfast and served in the Army National Guard for 23 years.

Poulin worked as a welder and ship-fitter at Bath Iron Works and for Omega Trucking Company. Waterman said she was certain Poulin's fellow soldiers must have appreciated his abilities.

"If he was in a truck, you know it had the most armor on it," she said. "You know he would have scrounged every piece of scrap metal."

He is survived by his wife, Jeanne; sons, Michael, Lynn Jr. and Ryan; and a daughter, Cindi.

Army Pfc. Joshua A. Ramsey

Pfc. Ramsey

It didn't make a lot of sense at first, but Joshua A. Ramsey decided to buy himself a new Pontiac Grand Am while on a two-week vacation from Iraq.

His grandmother Margaret Ramsey soon found out why.

"It seemed rather foolish to buy a car," she said. "But, when it's 150 degrees, you need something to dream about and to plan for. If it helped him through the tough times, it was well worth it. We took pictures of him with his new car so he could show his buddies."

Joshua Ramsey, 19, of Defiance, Ohio, died Dec. 12 of noncombat-related injuries in Baghdad. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was based at Mannheim, Germany.

"He loved his job," said his mother, Joy Ramsey. "He loved the Iraqi people, especially the kids. He was assigned to distribute soccer balls and school supplies. I know he died doing what he wanted to do, and I find comfort in that."

During his vacation, Ramsey went fishing and golfing. For dinner one night, he asked his mother to "fry up those little brown things" -- chicken livers, one of her son's favorite meals.

He also is survived by his father and stepmother, Bruce and LeAnn Ramsey.

Marine Cpl. Kyle J. Renehan

Some people didn't believe Kyle J. Renehan would live very long after being critically wounded in a mortar attack. Those people didn't know Renehan.

He survived for 11 days, long enough to be flown out of Iraq to Germany, long enough for his parents to travel to his bedside.

"We're convinced he fought those 11 days until we got over to see him because his brother was telling him to fight, be strong, that we were coming," said his father, Jim.

Renehan, 21, of Oxford, Pa., died Dec. 9 in Germany, from injuries received during a Nov. 29 mortar attack in Babil Province. A 2001 high school graduate, he was based in Cherry Point, Pa.

Although Kyle officially never regained consciousness, there were signs he knew what was going on around him, his father said. In Baghdad, a group of Marine officers visited him in the hospital and someone suggested taking a photo.

"Kyle hadn't moved in four days, but his arm came up," Jim Renehan said. "He was either flexing his biceps -- his 'guns,' he called them -- or he was going to salute."

He also is survived by his mother, Theresa.

Army Spc. Edwin W. Roodhouse

Spc. Roodhouse

After the 2001 terror attacks, Edwin W. Roodhouse wanted to see action in Iraq. It wasn't going to be that easy.

Roodhouse was originally assigned to battalion headquarters in South Korea. He got to Iraq by putting in for a transfer to a regular infantry unit.

"He had to volunteer twice," said Alan Roodhouse, his father. "He felt it was something he should do."

Roodhouse, 36, of San Jose, Calif., died Dec. 5 when a bomb detonated near his vehicle in Habbaniyah. He was based at Camp Greaves, South Korea.

A computer whiz, he attended San Francisco State University and worked in Northern California's Silicon Valley as a Microsoft-certified networking engineer.

The last time Roodhouse shared a meal with his parents and three younger siblings was in June, when he returned to his parents' home in McMinnville, Ore., to celebrate his sister Kate's high school graduation.

"Ed was unique -- he was a trained computer network engineer who worked for various companies," said a statement from Roodhouse's father and his stepmother, Donna. "He also loved to write and tell stories, and he enjoyed literature."

Army Sgt. David A. Ruhren

Sgt. Ruhren

David Ruhren joined the Junior ROTC program at his high school so his dying grandmother could see him in uniform. Then he joined the National Guard when he was just 17.

"When he came home from boot camp, I wanted to give him a hard time about his Army uniform, but he looked so sharp," said his teacher, Lester James.

Ruhren, 20, of Stafford, Va., died Dec. 21 in the bombing of a dining tent in Mosul, Iraq. He was stationed at West Point, Va.

Ruhren was mellow and went by the nickname "Rerun." He was known as the best .50-caliber machine gunner in his battalion. An only child, he lived with his mother Sonja Miller and worked as an emergency medical technician.

"He was definitely the man of the house," said his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Joel Miller.

While in Iraq, Miller reminisced to a reporter about being in his mother's back yard.

"Being out waist-deep in my lake fly-fishing," he says. "Cool breeze in the air and my dog fast asleep on the shore in the sunshine waiting for me to come back in. Simple things like that are what really matter the most."

Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory P. Rund

Gregory P. Rund was a freshman at Columbine High School when two students killed 13 people. He also served two tours of duty in Iraq.

Despite such experiences, Rund's family said he would rather direct the conversation toward a laugh, and someone else's story.

"Greg made us so proud, but he never wanted to be recognized for his actions," Rund's family said in a statement. "Neither Columbine nor Iraq was to define him."

Rund, 21, of Littleton, Colo., died Dec. 11 in Fallujah. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Rund regularly had to crawl across the school field as punishment because he made jokes during football practice. "He talked about the Marines; during boot camp they had to do something pretty similar," said his coach, Andy Lowry.

And then came Rund's punch line: They were easier on him in the Marines.

Rund enlisted shortly after graduating in 2002.

"He never did anything like everyone else did," his family said. "He did everything to the extreme and always knew that somehow with his humor and a little luck, he would make it through."

He is survived by his parents, Jane and Mark.