Army Sgt. Leonard W. Adams

Sgt. Adams

Even from thousands of miles away, Leonard W. Adams made folks laugh back home. He regularly e-mailed photographs of palaces, palm trees and even a row of about 20 portable toilets -- noting the third from the right was his favorite.

"He always thought that no matter how bad a person was there was always some good in them," said Patty Lawing, a friend. "He was just somebody you'd always want to be a friend."

Adams, 42, of Mooresville, N.C., died Jan. 24 after suffering a heart attack while running on a treadmill. He was stationed at Asheville.

A former bodybuilder and competitive weightlifter, he owned and operated a fitness center until he sold it in 1994 and later sold trucks.

He received a degree in sports management and business from Western Carolina University and had served 22 years in the military, well past the 20-year retirement mark.

"I didn't want him to go. Nobody wanted him to go. He said it was time to earn the pay he'd earned all those years." said his ex-wife, Jana Adams.

He also is survived by his wife, Michelle; a daughter, 14; a son, 10; and a stepdaughter, 10.

Marine Capt. Paul C. Alaniz

Capt. Alaniz

From the time he was little, all Paul Alaniz wanted to do was earn his wings and fly.

"He was an amazing life force," said his sister, Yvette Musik. "When he took to the air, we all went with him."

Alaniz, 32, of Corpus Christi, Texas, was one of the pilots of the helicopter that crashed in Iraq on Jan. 26, killing 31. He was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

He attended Texas Tech University and worked as a substitute high school teacher before he joined the military in 1996. He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq.

"He wanted to be a helicopter pilot more than anyone else I'd ever known," said Olympia Reeves, a former co-worker. "He was very focused, honest and confident. He believed in what the Corps stood for. Not too many people get to do what they want and believe in it so much."

He is survived by his wife, Thelma, and an 18-month-old daughter, Yvette.

Army Sgt. Christopher Babin

Sgt. Babin

When he left for war, Christopher Babin assured his mother he would see her again.

"He said 'Mom and Dad, I will be back. I don't know in what condition, but I will be back,' Charlotte Babin said.

Babin, 27, of Houma, La., was among the soldiers who died Jan. 6 when a roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad. He was based in Lafayette, La.

He is survived by his wife, Lydia, and a 9-month-old son, Mikhael. The couple's second wedding anniversary would have been in March.

In civilian life, Babin drove a cement truck. He joined the National Guard when he was 17, a few months before his high school graduation.

"He wanted to be everybody's hero," his mother said. "God gave him to me for 27 years. He couldn't have given me a better son."

Marine Cpl. Jonathan S. Beatty

Cpl. Beatty

Jonathan S. Beatty had only a week remaining before he was to return home from war.

"We were all so happy, talking about what he would do when he got back," said Heather Hammerich, Beatty's sister.

Beatty, 22, of Ottawa, Ill.; was killed in action on Jan. 27. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

Hammerich said her brother, who had recently contacted the family by e-mail to say he would soon return to the Marine base in North Carolina, never thought he would end up in a war zone.

"This is not what Jon wanted or what he thought would happen," Hammerich said. "He signed up for the military, but never in a million years did he think he would go to war."

His father, Wayne Beatty, said he was proud of his son, who played quarterback on his high school football team.

"He was a great kid, and he did his duty," Wayne Beatty said.

Beatty is also survived by his mother, Sheila McDonald.

Army Pfc. Gunnar D. Becker

Gunnar Becker was a senior in high school, ready to go to college, when he decided to walk a different path. He followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Army.

"Everybody's got to walk their own way eventually, so might as well start early," Becker said in a television interview in 2003.

Becker, 19, of Forestburg, S.D., died Jan. 13 of non-combat injuries in Mosul. He was based in Vilseck, Germany.

Becker was energetic and loved fast cars, loud music and time with friends. He planned to go to Wyoming Tech when he finished his duty with the Army.

Friends remembered him as friendly and outgoing.

"He touched a lot of people," said friend Adam Alt. "He was special. He could help pull you up when you felt low."

He is survived by his parents.

Army Spc. Bradley Bergeron

Spc. Bergeron

Bradley Bergeron had been scheduled to come home on leave and wanted to ask his girlfriend to marry him. But he stayed behind so a roommate could go home for his brother's wedding, his mother said.

"That's just the kind of person he was," Angela Bergeron said.

Bergeron, 25, of Houma, La., died Jan. 6 by a roadside bomb in northwest Baghdad. The Guardsman was based in Lafayette, La.

Bergeron was a high school honor student who grew up on the bayou and graduated in 1997. Those who knew him said he was bright, witty and sweet.

"He was very friendly, a person who was easy to get along with," said teacher Pauline Fleming. "He had a quick smile, a nice wit, he was just a really nice kid."

He made his living as a heating and air-conditioning technician before being called to Iraq. He signed his name with the nickname "Mickey Mouse" on a poster hung in the armory.

"He loved his family, he loved his country and he never gave a second thought to what he was doing in Iraq," his mother said.

Marine Staff Sgt. Brian D. Bland

One thing seemed to broadcast Brian D. Bland was approaching and people recognized it early: In eighth grade, he was voted most likely to be seen smiling.

"His smile was definitely the thing to remember," said friend Rhonda Purviance.

Bland, 26, of Weston, Wyo., died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash near Rutbah. He was based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Bland joined the Marines after graduating high school in 1995 and re-enlisted twice. When another Marine from his unit struggled to get past helicopter water-landing drills, Bland rode with him time and time again until he succeeded.

He saved money as a paperboy to buy his first horse, and went on to compete in local rodeos. When he was a teen, he saved money from working at Pizza Hut to buy his first motorcycle.

A friend, 1st Sgt. John Waddell, remembered the time Bland ordered a tank to ram a hole into a building so a group of Marines who were pinned down by enemy fire could get out safely.

"It's not cool to say 'I love you,' in the Marines," Waddell said. "I never told him I loved him, but I did."

He is survived by his wife, Stacy.

Army Capt. Orlando A. Bonilla

Capt. Bonilla

Orlando Bonilla stayed home with his wife for a while last year when her father, Army Sgt. 1st Class Henry A. Bacon, died in Iraq.

It was that gentlemanly personality that attracted Tabitha Bacon to her husband when they met while working at a Target store. They married at Fort Hood and would have celebrated their third wedding anniversary March 16.

But Orlando Bonilla, 27, of Killeen, Texas, died on Jan. 28 in a helicopter accident. He was based at Fort Hood.

Tabitha Bonilla said her husband, who attended the University of Texas in Austin, told her he decided in high school that he wanted to be an Army pilot. "He liked flying," she said, calling him "just a wonderful, kindhearted, caring, gentle person."

The last time they spoke, he said he was close to coming home from Iraq

"He told me he was going to fly a couple more missions before he came home," she said. "I was going to welcome him home, since I didn't get to welcome my dad home."

Marine Cpl. Jonathan W. Bowling

Cpl. Bowling

The day before he died, Jonathan W. Bowling made especially sure to contact his fiancee. It was her birthday so he called, e-mailed and sent a picture of himself.

"He called my daughter just about every day, sometimes two to three times a day," said Kenny McFarling, the father of Bowling's girlfriend, 26-year-old Tonya McFarling.

Bowling, 23, of Patrick, Va., died Jan. 26 during an ambush on his convoy in Anbar province. He was stationed at Lynchburg.

An officer with the Martinsville Police Department, Bowling graduated from high school in 2000 and Patrick Henry Community College in 2002 with an associate's degree in administration of justice.

"Everything about Jonathan was impressive; he came highly recommended by everyone we talked to, and his background investigation was absolutely spotless," Martinsville Police Chief Mike Rogers said.

Bowling's dream was to one day become a trooper with the Virginia State Police like his father, Master Trooper Darrell Bowling. He joined the Marine Reserve in 2000 and was trained as a combat engineer.

Bowling also is survived by his mother, Robin Feron.

Army Spc. Jimmy D. Buie

Spc. Buie

When Jimmy Buie decided to rejoin the Army, he didn't tell his wife until the morning he went to take the physical. At the age of 42, he was worried he'd fail and hadn't wanted to get his hopes up.

But the mechanic, who stayed fit playing church basketball, passed and was in the Middle East within months.

Buie, 43, of Floral, Ark., was killed Jan. 4 in a roadside explosion. He was based in Fordyce, Ark.

Buie had joined the Army after graduating high school in 1980 and later became a mechanic. He met his wife, Lisa, when the two worked for a dental-products manufacturer.

"He was the quiet, strong type," she said.

Both of them had been married before and were shy to start dating, but once they did they were inseparable. They were married in a year and Buie took to Lisa's two sons, spending time building a go-cart and playing catch.

Buie called his wife two to three times a week to check on things back home.

"Every time I talked with him he was so upbeat," she said. "He refused to let himself be afraid."

Army Spc. Taylor Burk

Spc. Burk

Taylor Burk grew up in a large and sometimes boisterous family of six children. But with his upbeat and gentle personality, he became known as the peacemaker, his stepmother said.

"When the other kids (his two brothers and three sisters) were contentious, he would say the right thing to break it up," Kimberly Burk said of her stepson.

The 21-year-old from Amarillo, Texas, was killed Jan. 25 in Baghdad after an apparent roadside bomb detonated near the Humvee he was driving. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Burk joined the Army soon after graduating from high school and suffered a gunshot wound to the heel in an attack in April. After recuperating at home, he shipped back to Iraq in October.

Lately, he had become disturbed by the increasing violence, his stepmother said. A recent e-mail described regular mortar explosions and a local resident who was killed by insurgents for selling soft drinks to American soldiers.

Burk also is survived by his parents, Tim Burk and Tracy Preddy.

Army Sgt. Michael C. Carlson

It wasn't just Mike Carlson's 235-pound frame that earned him the nickname "Shrek." His heart was big, too.

The nickname followed him to the Army, where he earned an Army Commendation Medal with Valor for ripping open a metal door to an Iraqi home and helping them capture a sniper.

"He was proving his Shrekness on that one," said his mother, Merilee.

Carlson, 22, of St. Paul, Minn., was among five soldiers who died Jan. 24 when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle rolled over into a canal. He was based in Vilseck, Germany.

Always a big kid, Carlson played organized football from the age of 8. In high school, he was a standout center and defensive tackle.

He had talked about enlisting in the Army, but his parents encouraged him to try college first. He spent a year at Concordia University, and made the dean's list, but still wanted to serve his country.

"He came and said, 'Mom, I did the year of college, and I want to go,"' his mother said.

He is also survived by his father, Daniel Carlson.

Army Pfc. Stephen A. Castellano

Stephen A. Castellano's family knew he'd always be fighting the good fight, whether it was something as simple as a personal disagreement or as difficult as the defense of an entire nation.

"Stephen gave his life protecting the most basic rights of a formerly oppressed people; the right to live in freedom and their right to express that freedom by exercising the right to participate in the formation of the government that will ultimately rule over them," his parents said in a statement.

Castellano, 20, of Long Beach, Calif., died Jan. 28, just four days shy of his 21st birthday, of a non-combat related injury in Mosul. He was based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

Castellano joined the Army in February 2003, fresh from his high school graduation. His enlistment followed a family tradition of military service; his mother had been in the Navy and his father was a Marine.

His mother, Susan Moncure, enjoyed the time they were able to spend together over the Thanksgiving holiday. "It was such a happy time," she said. "I'm trying to think of the happy times."

He also is survived by his father, Paul Castellano.

Army Sgt. Kyle W. Childress

Kyle Childress was ready to end his yearlong tour of Iraq, and looked forward to spending time with his fiancee in Germany before coming home to Indiana. He had a quiet confidence that made his family and friends proud.

"He, in his own mind and heart, knew he was good at his job and trained well," said his mother, Nancy Knight.

Childress, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind., stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany, died Jan. 18 in Iraq when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.

Family members described Childress as easygoing and calm, and some said they were surprised when the veteran of the Kosovo conflict joined the unit destined for action in Iraq. It made his sister, Gretta Childress, even prouder.

"He didn't go into the Army and try to go to the middle," she said. "He went right to the front."