Army Spc. Jeremy O. Allmon

Spc. Allmon

Jeremy Allmon loved to show off by flexing his muscles in the mirror.

"He did that just to aggravate me and my sister," said his brother, Preston Ray Jr.

Allmon, 22, of Cleburne, Texas, was killed Feb. 6 in Taji, Iraq, when a bomb exploded near the M-1 Abrams tank he was driving. He was based at Fort Hood.

Allmon, who obtained his general equivalency diploma before joining the Army, loved the outdoors and wanted to go to college to become a game warden.

When he was home on leave in October, he four-wheeled with his younger brother along the dirt roads near his parents' home and built a campfire outside the home where he and some of his friends discussed politics, his parents said.

In an interview when he was home on leave, Allmon told a local newspaper he believed the United States was right to invade Iraq and to stay until that nation was back on its feet.

"We can't just leave," he said during a home visit while on leave. "We can't just start something and not finish it. Then we wouldn't be America."

He is also survived by his mother, Lisa Ray.

Army Pfc. Danny L. Anderson

When Danny L. Anderson returned to his high school, some of the teachers might not have recognized him. After all, the man with the short hair and uniform once was a Goth who wore all black.

"He even had black fingernails," recalled one teacher, Maria Casares. "When he was here in December, he was a changed man."

Anderson, 29, of Corpus Christi, Texas, died Feb. 27 in Baghdad when his checkpoint came under fire. A 1994 high school graduate, he was based at Fort Stewart.

Dennis Anderson, his father, described his son as a "good kid growing up to be a good man."

When Anderson returned to his high school, he encouraged the students to make the most of their time in school. "He was motivating because he had not always been so focused," Casares said. "I think it took him this long to find his way."

Anderson once worked as a window washer but needed a stable job. He joined the Army in 2003 after marrying his high school sweetheart, Moriana. He and his wife just had a baby boy, Noah Daniel.

"Before he left, he said that he'd promised Noah that he would be back," said Danny's mother, Pat Brady.

Army Pfc. Michael A. Arciola

Michael Arciola had long planned to join the Army upon graduation from high school, and remained steadfast even after his up-close exposure to the horrors of war.

"He said he had been dodging bullets and saw people in his unit die," said Carl Sartori, who played baseball with Arciola in high school. "He didn't sound scared. He was proud to serve."

Arciola, 20, of Elmsford, N.Y., died Feb. 15 in Ramadi, Iraq, from small arms fire. He was based at Camp Casey, Korea.

A family friend, Alan Miller, said that although he is 75, he and Arciola enjoyed swapping Army stories, especially since both had served in Korea.

"He was the best, the very best," Miller said. "My heart's broken."

When Arciola was home on leave in January, his high school baseball and soccer coach, Kevin Budzynski, invited him for dinner.

"He talked about going to college," Budzynski said. "He was considering studying to become a physician's assistant or a teacher."

Arciola is survived by his parents.

Marine Lance Cpl. Trevor D. Aston

Cpl. Aston

After the 2001 terrorist attacks, Trevor Aston enlisted in the Marine Reserves at the relatively advanced age of 29.

"He was terribly shaken after 9/11," said his grandmother, Lenore Aston.

Aston, 32, of Austin, Texas, was killed Feb. 22 in Al Anbar Province. The incident, described as non-hostile, is under investigation.

Aston's grandmother served in the Women's Army Corps during World War II, and his father was in the Army for 27 years. As a boy Aston lived in Texas, Germany and other locations where his father, Robert Aston, was stationed.

He attended Austin Community College and had worked as a bartender and booked concert acts for a nearby nightclub. He wanted to be a firefighter either in Austin or in Houston, where his mother lives.

"He was a good friend to many people," said his mother, Jewel Aston. "He was just an all-around, good, nice kid."

Army Staff Sgt. Steven G. Bayow

Steven G. Bayow had served 16 years in the Army and was thinking about retiring to Micronesia, where he grew up.

"He was talking about it because he's very much an island boy," said Bayow's brother, Mark Mathow. "He has traveled abroad and experienced life ... but he still appreciates his home life, the island life."

Bayou, 42, died Feb. 4 in an explosion. He was from Colonia on the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, and was stationed at Fort Stewart.

Mathow said Bayow was one of 14 siblings but the family was very tight knit.

"We have been looking forward to having him around the house when he comes back, so it was really an unexpected call and very hard on the family," he said. "He has a big family, but we are very close."

Bayow's sister, Elizabeth Mizelle, remembered how much her younger brother had been changed by joining the military.

"When he joined the military, they really trained him and really changed him," she said. "He really became respectful and independent. ... He's a good brother."

Army Spc. Katrina L. Bell-Johnson

Spc. Bell-Johnson

After an early surgery, doctors told Katrina Bell-Johnson that she was unlikely to bear children. She proved them wrong in 2003, giving birth to a baby girl.

Johnson named her Gabriella, after the archangel Gabriel, and called the child "her gift from God."

Two months later, she was sent to Iraq.

Johnson, 32, of Orangeburg, S.C., was killed Feb. 16 after the supply delivery truck she was riding in overturned. She was based at Fort Hood.

After her initial deployment, Johnson returned home for six months but went back to Iraq at the end of last year, leaving Gabby in the care of her mother, Vivian Johnson Huffman.

Huffman never liked her daughter joining the military to help pay for school at Midlands Technical College.

"She was a go-getter," Huffman said. "There was no way of talking her out of something."

Huffman recalled her final telephone conversation with her daughter, a devout Christian who is also survived by a husband.

"Mom, it's rough here. I don't like it," Johnson told her mother. "But I'm serving my country and I have to do my job."

Army Pfc. David J. Brangman

David J. Brangman's mother said she had never seen her son more proud than when he showed up at her job in uniform.

"He was the most handsomest I'd ever seen him," said Inez Ortiz. "He's still my baby, but he learned to be a man."

Brangman, of Lake Worth, Fla., died Feb. 13 in Uvanni when a mortar round struck his vehicle. He was stationed at Fort Stewart and his death came 10 days after his 20th birthday.

"To lose your child in the same month that you brought him in is doubly hard," said Ortiz.

Brangman, who was home-schooled, entered the Army in February 2003, one month before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He joined up both to earn money for college and after being profoundly affected by the Sept. 11 attacks.

"He wanted to do something for his country," said Ortiz. "And that's what he did."

Brangman and his family moved from Albany, N.Y., six years ago. He loved to draw and dreamed of being an architect.

He also is survived by his stepfather, Alfonso Ortiz.

Army Spc. Adam N. Brewer

Larry Miller, a high school teacher, remembers spotting Adam N. Brewer in the back of his American history class. He wasn't causing trouble -- just soaking it all in.

"He was the kind of student you like to have in a class," Miller said.

Brewer, 22, of Dewey, Okla., died Feb. 25 when an explosive detonated near his patrol in Taji. He was based at Fort Hood.

Brewer graduated from high school in 2001 and soon signed up. "He wanted adventure, the excitement and the discipline," said his father, Jeffrey Brewer. The younger Brewer hoped to one day become a police officer.

Jeffrey Brewer said his son had telephoned him about three weeks ago and said, "If I don't see you again, I want you to know that I love you." About his second tour of duty in Iraq, "he said he had a bad feeling about this one," the soldier's father said.

Adam told his father that an improvised device had recently detonated and injured another soldier. "He said, 'I hope I make it home."'

The younger Brewer is survived by his wife, Molly.

Marine Capt. Sean L. Brock

The last time Sean L. Brock spoke to his mother from Iraq, he told her he was worried because it was eerily quiet and "when it gets quiet like that, something happens."

Brock, 29, of Redondo Beach, Calif., died Feb. 2 from shrapnel wounds he sustained in Anbar province. He was based at Okinawa, Japan.

Brock had a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in administration. In addition, he was working on a doctorate in public policy and administration and a second master's in international relations.

"He became a motivator of people," said his uncle, the Rev. Fred Biby. "He literally not only accomplished his own dreams, but he pulled them out of people."

"He was able to teach to his fellow Marines and reach out to them and give them a little bit of the knowledge he had," said Maribel Duenas, evaluations coordinator at Central Texas College, where Brock taught classes.

Brock was a man who loved animals, be they the family cats or his pet iguana. Four white homing pigeons were release at his funeral.

He is survived by his wife, Navy Lt. Nurse Heather Brock.

Army Spc. Justin B. Carter

Justin Carter had a truck that locals had nicknamed the "Red Blur."

"Everybody in town knew Justin and his truck," said Carter's stepfather and deer-hunting buddy, Brett Misemer.

Carter, 21, of Mansfield, Mo., died Feb. 16 when an anti-armor weapon discharged inside an arms storage site in Iraq. He was assigned to Fort Benning.

Carter was in a rush to live life, but he always kept track of details about friends and made time to speak to each person at family gatherings.

He once invited a handful of friends from his barracks to his home for the Thanksgiving holidays.

On Valentine's Day, he remembered to e-mail his mother, Becky, and send his love.

"I thank GOD every day for giving me the chance to be raised by the best mother on earth!" he wrote just days before his death.

Before he graduated from high school in Mansfield and enlisted in the Army, Carter was involved with the Future Farmers of America.

His cousin, Rebecca Denney, remembered the adventures they had during high school, such as the prom they never quite made it to. He was the life of the party wherever he went, she said.

Army Pfc. Min S. Choi

When Min Soo Choi joined the Army, he wanted to be sent to his native South Korea. Instead, he went to Iraq.

But that didn't bother him.

"I'm just proud to serve," neighbor Donna LoPiccolo quoted Choi as saying.

Choi, 21, of River Vale, N.J., died Feb. 26 when a bomb detonated near his patrol in Abertha. He was assigned to Fort Stewart.

Choi moved with his family from South Korea about seven years ago. Friends remembered him as a well-respected young man who aspired to someday join the FBI. He played golf and soccer in high school and graduated in 2003.

Choi joined the Army a year ago, shortly after enrolling at John Jay College. River Vale Township Mayor George Paschalis said he would name Choi an honorary police officer in homage to the young man.

Though Choi was not an American citizen when he died, he got that in death. "It's the least a grateful country can do," said Chris Bentley, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

He is survived by his father, Jung Choi, and his mother, Jae.

Marine Cpl. Kevin M. Clarke

Cpl. Clarke

Kevin M. Clarke was better known as "Superman."

There was the time he nearly drowned his friends playing Navy SEALS in a swimming pool. And the night he challenged his buddies to see who could lie the longest in their swimsuits in the snow.

"He was tough," said friend Kenny Mackey. "Like Superman."

Clarke, 21, of Tinley Park, Ill., died Feb. 19 when his patrol came under small-arms fire near the Syrian border. He was based at Twentynine Palms.

Graduating high school in 2002, Clarke ran hurdles on the track team because, as he had explained, "anyone can run when there's nothing in the way."

Even as a child, Clarke wanted to join the Marines, telling his mother Cathy at age 4 that he wanted to ride in a "hekikoker." During Halloween, he wanted to wear uniforms, his mother said. "Every costume he chose was a hero: Zorro or a policeman. I knew I was going to be a 'Marine mom."'

Clarke's uncle, Ray Bohlin, said his nephew's motto was "Do the right thing. ... Do the right thing and play a few practical jokes along the way."

He also is survived by his father, Phil.

Marine Lance Cpl. Richard C. Clifton

Richard "Chad" Clifton had always wanted to join the military -- but there was no way he was going to let his kid brother follow him.

"He would tell his brother 'I'll break both of your arms and legs if you go into the military,"' his father Richard said.

Clifton, 19, of Milford, Del., was killed Feb. 3 in Iraq's Anbar province. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Clifton grew up on a farm near a wildlife refuge, and used to go for long walks through the woods with his parents and younger brother, occasionally stopping to splash in a mud puddle.

The 2003 high school graduate declined opportunities to attend military service academies in favor of boot camp. Teachers said he was a "brilliant writer" who enjoyed debate.

"Chad was an outstanding student. Reliable. Steadfast. Selfless. Intelligent. Energetic. All of those positive attributes that you look for all of our young people who are destined to become future leaders," said Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ronald Erale, his Junior ROTC instructor.

Clifton is also survived by his mother, Terri.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Sean M. Cooley

Sean M. Cooley's dedication as an emergency room nurse and kindness to his patients were obvious when surveys of patients came in.

"Sean still has the most stars on the board, and he has been gone several months. Everybody loved Sean Cooley," said Darlene Phillips, a registered nurse who worked with him. "He just loved people and touched the lives of so many children who came through the ER."

Cooley, 35, of Ocean Springs, Miss., was killed Feb. 3 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle south of Baghdad. He was based in Lucedale, Miss.

Cooley loved the outdoors and was quick with a joke or a story. Wesley Lyons, a nurse who worked with him, asked why he enlisted when he could make more money as a nurse.

"He wasn't interested in (the money)," Lyons said. "He believed in what he was doing. He was a dedicated person."

Cooley's wife, Laura, said during a Dec. 22 deployment ceremony at Camp Shelby that she was "very proud" of her husband as he went to war.

"Words can just not say the pride you feel," she said.

Army Staff Sgt. Alexander B. Crackel

Alexander Crackel had a wife and daughter in England and had lived there for many years -- but he decided to serve the country of his birth.

"I think he liked the challenge of the military," said Clint Crackel of North Aurora, Ill. "He looked at the military as being another family."

Crackel, 31, of Wilstead Bedford, United Kingdom, was killed Feb. 24 when a bomb exploded near the Kuwait and Iraq border where he was serving. He was based at Camp Hovey, Korea.

His father described Crackel as a quiet man who had a great sense of humor, always cracking jokes. He graduated from the equivalent of high school in England and decided to join the Army at 24 and become a career Army man.

Crackel followed several members of his family into the military, including his father and brother.

He is survived by a wife and a 7-year-old daughter in England.