Marine Cpl. Richard A. Gilbert Jr.

Cpl. Gilbert

As befitting a distant cousin of Harry Truman, Richard A. Gilbert Jr. dreamed of one day becoming president.

"He was a natural-born politician," joked his mother, Helen Gilbert. "When you asked him a question, he'd talk for a half-hour and never give you an answer."

Gilbert, 26, of Montgomery, Ohio, died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash near Rutbah. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Gilbert quit high school before graduation, but got a GED and enrolled in Sinclair Community College as a political science major. He enlisted in the Marines soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

His mother said after his return from Iraq he planned to run as a Republican for Dayton City Commission as a first step in a political career that he hoped would take him to Washington.

His father, Vietnam veteran Richard Gilbert Sr., said his son once wrote a school essay that called his father his hero.

"Turning that around, he was my hero and he was the bravest person I ever met," he said. "He was a straight-headed kid and very intelligent. I just can't believe he's gone."

Marine Capt. Lyle L. Gordon

As a thrill-seeking youngster, Lyle L. Gordon must have watched the 1980s fighter pilot movie "Top Gun" hundreds of times.

"'I'm gonna fly, I'm gonna fly!"' he would say, according to his mother, Mary Gordon. "That's all he ever wanted."

Gordon, 30, of Midlothian, Texas, was killed Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash near Rutbah. He was stationed at Miramar.

Gordon graduated from high school in 1993 and earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from Texas A&M in 1999.

He had visions of one day blending his loves of flying and animals by owning a horse ranch. There he could fly high above his sprawling dream ranch while getting a birds-eye view of his herd.

While in Iraq at Christmas, Gordon helped deliver more than 100 care packages to soldiers that residents of his hometown had sent. He gave them to soldiers who lacked contact from home.

"He was always getting some package from us, but he also knew there were a lot of boys over there that never heard from anyone," Mary Gordon said. "He just wanted to bring some joy to them."

He also is survived by his wife, Kaci.

Marine Cpl. Kyle J. Grimes

Cpl. Grimes

Kyle Grimes may have been a Marine, but he was his mother's son first.

"He was always a Momma's boy, so lovable and affectionate and really sentimental," said his mother, Marybeth LeVan. "We always could talk really well."

Grimes, 21, of Northampton, Pa., was among the 31 killed Jan. 26 when a helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Grimes wanted to work for the FBI after he got out of the Marines. In a letter he wrote on Christmas Eve to his mother, he said that he was "thinking of how young I was and how much I had to do in life yet."

"Like fall in love, get married, children etc.," Corporal Grimes wrote. "The whole idea of growing old, that it would be an amazing and beautiful thing. It hit me like a ton of bricks. My eyes became teary and I wiped them off (I hope no one saw me)."

Grimes is also survived by his father, Robert.

Army Pfc. Daniel F. Guastaferro

Daniel Guastaferro loved camping, bowling and fishing -- but he was most passionate about customizing model cars.

"He liked cars, period," his said his father, Frank.

Guastaferro, 27, of Las Vegas, was killed Jan. 7 when the vehicle he was in ran off the road and plunged into a canal in Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Camp Casey, Korea.

A bright student, Guastaferro became bored with school and dropped out but later got a GED and was starting college, planning to work with computers, before he went into the service.

While stationed in Korea, he got involved in rock climbing.

Both shy and compassionate, friends said Guastaferro was determined to make the world a better place.

"His goal was to make life safer ... not only for us, but our children for generations to come," said Jack Wang, a friend.

He is survived by his parents, Frank Guastaferro and Carol Fabbri, and stepparents.

Army civilian Barbara Heald

Barbara Heald went to Iraq to work for the U.S. government as a civilian because she wanted to be of further service to her country after retiring from the Department of Agriculture.

"She had a very strong sense of patriotism," said her sister, Margaret Geis of Yuma, Ariz.

Heald, 60, a civilian employee for the U.S. Army from Stamford, Conn., was killed Jan. 30 in a mortar attack.

She had been working for the Project and Contracting Office, which is involved in rebuilding Iraq's public works.

"She had a tremendous curiosity," said Geis. "What she didn't know when she got over there she made it her business to find out."

A friend of five years, Gabriele Mecca, said Heald believed strongly in the mission to rebuild Iraq.

"She felt reasonably safe in that environment, but everyone knew how dangerous it was," she said. "She wanted to be a part of history."

Marine Lance Cpl. Tony Hernandez

Cpl. Hernandez

Tony Hernandez tried to join the Marines after high school, but was rejected because he was too heavy. He shed 25 pounds by running and dieting and tried again.

By the time he finished boot camp, Hernandez had lost another 20 pounds: "We went to his graduation and we almost didn't recognize him," said Leroy Hernandez, his father.

Hernandez, 22, of Canyon Lake, Texas, was killed in the Jan. 26 helicopter crash that left 31 dead. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Hernandez was the crew chief on the aircraft, which went down during a desert sandstorm while transporting troops as part of security operations.

Leroy Hernandez had spoken to his son by telephone not long before he died.

"He said it was cold, that he didn't like the weather, that he was working his butt off -- the usual gripes," he said. "He didn't say a lot because he didn't want anyone to worry."

Army 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe

Lt. Hoe

Nainoa K. Hoe was a meticulous college student who worked hard in Army ROTC and earned an MBA, but who also enjoyed singing karaoke and body surfing.

"We sang karaoke after our wedding," said his wife, Emily Hoe. "It was a big change because with work, he was so structured and so precise, it was great to see him let go like that."

Hoe, 27, of Kailua, Hawaii, was killed by a sniper as he led a foot patrol on Jan. 22. He was stationed at Fort Lewis.

Emily Hoe, 21, said she received an e-mail from her husband two hours before he was killed. "He told me how he was going to love me forever and how he couldn't wait to see me," she said.

Hoe earned a bachelor's degree in management information systems and an MBA from the University of Hawaii and was praised as a standout ROTC commander.

"He was perhaps the best cadet I've ever encountered, one of best cadets this school has ever had," said Army Lt. Col. James Johnson, professor of military science at the university.

Hoe is also survived by his father, Allen Hoe, and his mother, Adele.

Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew W. Holloway

Cpl. Holloway

Before Matthew W. Holloway was sent to Iraq, he bought his new wife a truck and stuck a bumper sticker on it that said: "Freedom isn't free."

Holloway, 21, of Fulton, Texas, was killed Jan. 13 when a mine exploded near their Humvee in Anbar province. He was based in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Holloway thought about joining the Marine Corps but became a reservist after graduating from high school in 2001 so he could go to college and become a family doctor. An avid fisherman, Matthew Holloway also liked to draw.

"He was a wonderful son," said his mother, Shirley. "He had lots of friends, he was a really good person all the way around."

He is survived by his wife.

Shirley Holloway said her son was deeply affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and became the third member of his family to join the Marines, after his father and brother.

She last spoke with Matthew the night before he was killed.

"He would always say, 'Don't worry, I'm fine,"' his mother said.

Marine Cpl. Paul C. Holter III

Cpl. Holter

When Paul C. Holter III joined his high school's Junior ROTC program, he could barely do a push-up.

"He was a pudgy little kid looking for something," Retired Navy Cmdr. Armando Solis said. "He became one of the best drill team members we had."

Holter, 21, of Corpus Christi, Texas, was killed Jan. 14 at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident that was under investigation. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Military service was a family tradition, and the 2001 high school graduate met with several recruiters before choosing the Marines. He was in his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Upon his release from the Marines this summer, he planned to pursue a police career, said his friend, Steven Heist.

Marine Lance Cpl. Brian C. Hopper

Cpl. Hopper

Brian Hopper fought for five days during the siege of Fallujah with shrapnel embedded in his back, arm and face, earning the first of three Purple Hearts. A grenade blast injured him badly enough that he could have been pulled out of Iraq.

"But he talked them into staying," his father Rob said. "His words exactly were, 'So I could go back out with my guys."'

Hopper, 21, of Wynne, Ark., was among the 31 killed Jan. 26 when a helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

As a teenager, Hopper hung ropes from the trees and carved trails on the hillsides behind his family's home so he could train to become a Marine in secret.

When a recruiter in Arkansas said he wouldn't qualify because he'd had reconstructive knee surgery, he went to a recruiter in Mississippi. He never mentioned his new knee and was accepted, Rob Hopper said.

Hopper's brother, Lance Cpl. Patrick Hopper, is also serving in Iraq and asked to escort the casket home.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John D. House

Petty Officer House

John Daniel House was in Iraq when his son was born on Christmas Eve, but he was able to hear little James' first cries over a satellite phone.

When he got to see the boy a few days later by video hookup, Melanie House saw her husband wipe his eyes and asked if he was OK.

"I just can't believe that's our baby," he said.

The 28-year-old medic never got to meet his son face-to-face. House, of Ventura, Calif., was killed along with 30 Marines Jan. 26 when a helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

After high school, House had drifted through various jobs but decided he wanted a more stable career and joined the Navy.

"They say the military either makes you or breaks you," said his father, Larry. "It really made John."

Before he left for his second tour of duty in Iraq, House slept with a stuffed toy under his shirt for two weeks so his son would know his scent when he returned. He also recorded himself reading "Goodnight Moon" so his son would know his voice.

The tattooed, motorcycle-riding Johnny Cash fan gave his son the middle name Cash.

Marine Sgt. Thomas Houser

Sgt. Houser

Thomas Houser was the kind of kid who would stop while passing a high school classroom to push his nose against the window in the door, making a face at the students inside.

"As one of his teachers, it always made me nervous when Tom raised his hand," said the Rev. Phil Hobt. "I never knew what he was going to say."

Houser, 22, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was killed Jan. 3 by small-arms fire during a mission in Anbar province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Houser enlisted shortly after graduating high school in 2000. The family has a tradition of service: His older brother, Joe, is in the Marines, as were his father, John, and grandfather. Thomas was a member of the elite 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company when he was killed.

"If he could meet up with the guy who did this, I know he would say, 'Nice shot. Now let me buy you a beer,"' said Joe Houser.

Houser's mother, Mary Ellen Ward, said her son was hoping to work in Iraq for a security firm after leaving the military. "This is what he wanted," she said. "If he were going to die, it was the perfect place."

He also is survived by his stepfather, Larry Ward.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Edward E. Jack

A Lutheran minister and military chaplain, Edward E. Jack was a favorite among his shipmates aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard.

"Everybody loved him," said his wife, Jean. "He didn't have to go on this trip. He volunteered."

Jack, 51, of Detroit, died of a heart attack Jan. 29 on the amphibious assault ship in the waters near Iraq. Before reaching Iraq, Jack's ship was part of the U.S. military's tsunami relief.

He served in the Navy for 23 years, with three in the Navy reserves. He was due to retire in June. Navy spokesman Lt. Kyle Raines said Jack was most recently based in San Diego, where he was assigned to Commander Destroyer Squadron Seven.

"His role was in comforting the sailors and Marines," said his wife, who noted that her husband also served in the war zone in 2003. "He took it because he liked adventure."

Jack also is survived by a daughter, Amanda Roggow, and a son, Todd.

"Chaplain Jack exemplified an unwavering commitment to Scripture and to service to the men and women of the sea services," said Cmdr. Mark Steiner, a Lutheran chaplain and a longtime friend of Jack's. "He will be dearly missed."

Marine Lance Cpl. Saeed Jafarkhani-Torshizi Jr.

Cpl. Jafarkhani-Torshizi

The son of an Iranian father, Saeed Jafarkhani-Torshizi Jr. told friends when he left for war that he was "going home to fight."

"He said they are both his people. And if he dies over there, he knows he is going to be doing something worthwhile because he thought he could help save both people," said friend Patience Martino.

Jafarkhani-Torshizi, 24, of Fort Worth, Texas, was among the 31 killed Jan. 26 when a helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Known as J.R., Jafarkhani-Torshizi was born in Fort Worth but lived in Iran for a time with his father. He loved the Texas Rangers and played in youth baseball leagues.

He enlisted in the Marines in 2003 with the hope of eventually becoming a Fort Worth police officer. His relatives had recently sent him a package of supplies for his Feb. 7 birthday.

"Anytime I asked him what he wanted, he said just my love," said his mother, Rani Travis. "He always qualified it by saying if he couldn't call for a while, don't worry. I worried every second of every day."