Army Staff Sgt. David Day

Sgt. Day

When David Day proposed to his high school sweetheart, he made sure it was unforgettable. He bought her a new car and placed the engagement ring in the glove compartment for her to find.

"David Day was the type of young man every father wants his daughter to marry," said John Luse, chief of the St. Louis Park, Minn., police department where Day was an officer. "Our hearts are broken."

Day, 25, was one of three Minnesota National Guardsmen killed by a roadside blast Feb. 21. He was based in Montevideo, Minn.

As a boy, Day played Little League, loved to skateboard and worked his way up to Eagle Scout. He worked in a grocery store as a teen and successfully led an effort to overturn a ban on driving snowmobiles to school.

After high school, he attended Alexandria Technical College and spent summers working as a community service officer in Morris, Minn. He was a police officer for less than a year before his Guard unit was sent to Iraq.

"He was one of those people everybody loved," said Jim Beauregard, the police chief in Morris. "He was always there to help you and help anybody else."

Day is survived by his wife, Amy.

Army Spc. Michael S. Deem

In January, Michael Deem took his 7-year-old daughter Maran to the Andretti Thrill Park. Then he broke the news: He was headed to Iraq.

"We had a good time together," said Maran. "My dad gave me a big hug and a big kiss, and I just knew he was going to get killed there."

Deem, 35, of Rockledge, Fla., was found dead in his bunk Feb. 24 in Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense, which is investigating the death. He was based at Fort Stewart.

Deem enlisted in the Army in 2002 and served as an information-systems operator.

He is also survived by his second wife, Lynn, and the couple's 3-year-old son, William. When Deem was painting his house or tiling inside, his son was never far behind.

"Toddlers and dads don't always go together, but with him it was never an issue," neighbor Lisa Marietta said.

Maran, who has her father's bright red hair, said she has "real nice memories of us together."

"He's being buried here, and now I'll visit his grave," she said.

Army Pfc. Colby M. Farnan

Pfc. Farnan

At a Veteran's Day celebration in 2003, Patrick Farnan looked out over a sea of elementary school children and thought of his son, Colby, who was serving in South Korea.

"There's a lot of heroes sitting around in your community, and our community, and our schools," he explained. "And my son for me, he can be my hero and my son."

Colby M. Farnan, 22, of Weston, Mo., was killed by a bomb Feb. 25 while on foot patrol in Taji. He was based at Fort Riley.

Farnan graduated from high school in 2000 and joined the Army in August 2002.

He umpired youth baseball games with his father in the summer, said Kathie Jones, a family friend. "The idea of him not being there during the summer is really going to hit hard," Jones said, "and not seeing him, it's terrible."

Farnan also is survived by his mother, Deann.

"Colby was dearly loved by his parents, sister, family and friends," said a statement released from his parents. "He was a fun-loving young man and soldier and we are all proud of him."

Army Spc. Clinton R. Gertson

Spc. Gertson

When a suicide bomber attacked an Army mess hall in Mosul, Clinton R. Gertson took shrapnel in the back. He narrowly escaped the fate of 22 others who were killed.

"We thought, 'Whew, that's it, he is going to be fine,"' said his stepmother, Susan Gertson. "He had his whole life ahead of him."

Gertson, 26, of Eagle Lake, Texas, was killed Feb. 19 by small arms fire in Mosul. He was based at Fort Lewis.

Gertson, who went by Clint, followed his stepbrother Matt into the service. The two were raised together and were very close, regarding themselves to be brothers.

Clint Gertson was "an all-American boy who loved to hunt, fish, farm rice and run cattle," his father Gayle said from the family rice farm. "After 9/11 happened, he said he just felt he needed to go defend our country."

Jan. 30 was a momentous day for him.

"He turned 26 that day, which was the same day they held the elections in Iraq," his father said. "He kidded me, 'They had to wait until my birthday to hold the elections."'

Army 2nd Lt. Richard B. 'Brian' Gienau

Richard B. 'Brian' Gienau always put the needs of his soldiers first. Prior to deployment, he bought a video game system and a television for the troops to use. Food in his care packages often wound up in other soldiers' stomachs.

"Children loved him, everyone loved him," said Gienau's father, Rich. "He didn't give a hoot what you looked like or how you were dressed. He loved everyone."

Gienau, 29, of Longview, Iowa, died Feb. 27 when his vehicle hit a bomb between Karbala and Ramadi. He was assigned to Burlington.

Gienau enlisted in the Navy in 1994, serving as an avionics mechanic. He enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in 1999. He went on to graduate from the University of Northern Iowa in 2003.

"He had a kind of a subtle sense of humor. Not a real boisterous type, just a very cerebral, intelligent kid," said science teacher Craig Milius.

Gary Oberbroeckling, Gienau's former father-in-law, said the soldier last called his 9-year-old son, Keenan, and left a message on the answering machine. The family plans to preserve it.

"He said, 'I want to come home and hang out again,"' Oberbroeckling said.

Army Sgt. Carlos J. Gil

Whenever Edgar Gil needs a reminder of his son, he just has to look at his granddaughter.

"She has the same face, the same way of standing. She's like a replica of my son," Edgar Gil said of young Jallisa, whom her grandfather calls "Ja-Ja."

Carlos J. Gil, 30, of Orlando, Fla., died Feb. 18 during an explosion in Humaniyuh. He was based at Mannheim, Germany.

The Gil family, originally from Puerto Rico, moved to Orlando 11 years ago. Carlos attended Valencia Community College, then worked for the U.S. Postal Service before joining the Army six years ago.

When he signed up, he was following a path set by his father and grandfather. Edgar Gil served during the Vietnam War and his own father saw duty in Korea and Vietnam.

This time, Edgar Gil saw his son deployed more than usual. "In the course of two years, he was sent to Iraq three times," Gil said. "That just seems unfair."

His mother said Carlos never spoke about the dangers he faced. "He would talk about the family, about his wife and his daughter," Carmen Gil said. "He never talked about his missions."

He also is survived by his wife, Farah Lee Gil.

Army Pvt. Landon S. Giles

Landon S. Giles' life was all about adventures.

He did a two-week "walkabout" in Australia, which included interaction with Aborigines and deep-sea fishing. He rode an elephant through parts of Thailand, went on a jungle safari, surfed in Hawaii, and visited other countries including Korea, the Philippines and Bali.

"He has done and seen things other people dream about," said his mother, Kim.

Giles, 19, of Indiana, Penn., died Feb. 26 in Abertha when a bomb detonated near his patrol. He was stationed at Fort Stewart and had been in Iraq only a week.

Giles graduated from high school in 2004 and then entered the Army. He played soccer, junior high football, baseball and became a certified scuba diver when he was 12. "He played just about every sport there is," his mom said.

A sister, Jo Ann, told of his visiting her family in California and jumping into the cold Pacific Ocean. "I'm on the beach freezing and he's in the water," she said. "He was so much fun."

He also is survived by his father, Alan.

When Landon left for the Middle East, his mother said, "I told him he was on his way to another great adventure."

Army Spc. Dakotah L. Gooding

Spc. Gooding

Two years ago, Dakotah L. Gooding married Kathy McLendon's daughter, Angela. The two had a whirlwind courtship and tied the knot six months after their first date. In January, he left for Iraq.

"He told me, I'm coming back to get her," McLendon said.

Gooding, 21, of Des Moines, Iowa, died Feb. 13 in Balad when his vehicle overturned into a canal. He was assigned to Fort Stewart.

"Even though he's a young boy, he's more of a man than most men I know," said McLendon.

Gooding enrolled in the Army at 17 and had served in Korea before being deployed to Iraq. "From the time that he was 5 years old, he always played soldier," said Melissa Bonnell, a cousin.

"He knew that he had a mission, and it was something that we had talked about in our family for ages, and it was to protect the United States," she said.

Gooding was especially close to his mother, who is disabled. He died about three weeks after arriving in Iraq.

"The one thing that I can remember him saying before he even went over there was that he was telling his mom that he was going to be OK and he was going to be fine," Bonnell said.

Army Staff Sgt. Daniel G. Gresham

Although he was the youngest child, Daniel Gresham was very protective of his older sisters.

"If a guy looked at us crosswise, he'd be ready to pounce," said Elizabeth Gresham, who called her younger brother her best friend.

Gresham, 23, was killed Feb. 24, a week after he arrived in Iraq. He was responding to an explosion when another blast went off.

Gresham followed in his family's footsteps when he decided to join the Army straight out of high school. He was based at Fort Sam Houston.

His father, Gene Gresham, described his son as "a drive-on person who didn't back down. He did his job -- everything the Army asked him to do."

He had served in Korea and Afghanistan as an explosives expert, but he had an uneasy feeling about going to Iraq. "He knew he would die out there," said his sister, Julie Gresham-Stewart.

"Before he left, he felt like something was going to happen," Elizabeth Gresham said. "I told him I need him, but he said he'd always be with us."

Army Spc. Robert T. Hendrickson

Robby Taylor Hendrickson had big plans for the future. He hoped one day to return to school to become a pediatric nurse. In the meantime, his plans were all about family in Oklahoma -- his parents, sister and 6-year-old son Dylan.

"He was a good dad," Hendrickson's own father, Dave Hendrickson, said. "He did his best to do whatever he could for his son. He loved Dylan more than anything."

Hendrickson, 24, of Broken Bow, Okla., died Feb. 1 after the military vehicle he was driving struck a barrier and toppled over. He was based at Fort Hood.

The young soldier prepared for his death, according to his family. When he left for his deployment last year, he left behind the marksman and cavalry patches he had earned so relatives would have something to remember him by.

But it was life he embraced. Robby Hendrickson last traded Internet messages with his father two days before he died, saying he looked forward to going camping and doing other "guy stuff" with his dad and son.

Army Staff Sgt. Jason R. Hendrix

Sgt. Hendrix

Jason Hendrix made sacrifices for his men, once using nearly $2,000 of his own money to buy night-vision goggles, face masks and flashlights and giving up his Christmas leave so another man with a new baby could go home

"He was a protective big brother," said his aunt, Melanie Massera. "He was that way with his men. He cared for them in a very protective way."

Hendrix, 28, of Claremore, Okla., died Feb. 16 in an explosion while trying to save a fellow soldier whose vehicle was under attack in Iraq. He was based out of Camp Hovey, Korea.

As the leader of a 25-man squad and the eldest of seven siblings, Hendrix knew the importance of setting a good example for others to follow.

Hendrix was a popular teenager who loved to play basketball and break-dance. During his senior year, Hendrix became noticeably motivated and focused, said Mike Hinds, who attended high school with him in Claremore.

"He decided to go into the military; he wanted to serve his country, and he put out a lot of effort for it," Hinds said.

Hendrix is survived by his mother and stepfather, Renee and Danny Amick, and father, Russell Hendrix.

Army Pfc. Chassan S. Henry

Chassan Henry never had much money, but that didn't stop him from picking up the tab. He once insisted on giving two girls $40 for driving him home with a friend, and he bought steaks for all the kids in the neighborhood at a barbecue to see him off last year.

"He kept everybody together and everybody out of trouble," said his friend, Dana Cohen. "A lot of the kids didn't have dads. They all looked up to him."

Henry, 20, of West Palm Beach, Fla., was killed Feb. 25 in Ramadi, Iraq, from injuries from an explosion while he in combat. He was based at Camp Hovey, Korea.

Henry was born in St. John's, Antigua, and adopted by his aunt Hydie Henry when he was two. As a rambunctious 13-year-old, Henry was enrolled in a residential program for at-risk kids run by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department.

The program was supposed to last only six months, but Henry liked it so much that he asked to stay. After high school, he served in the Job Corps for four months before joining the Army. He hoped the Army would give him a good career as a computer technician.

"He tried so hard," said his mother, Hydie Henry. "He struggled to be such a good child."

Army Spc. Jeffrey S. Henthorn

While he was away at war, Jeffrey S. Henthorn never wanted his sons to worry.

"It is very hot here," he wrote from Iraq. "Sometimes there are bombs that go off. Sometimes people shoot at us, but don't worry, we shoot back. ... Nothing is gonna happen to daddy. I miss you."

Henthorn, 25, of Choctaw, Okla., died Feb. 8 of noncombat-related injuries in Balad, Iraq. He was based at Fort Riley.

He is survived by sons Chance, 7, and Brenden, 4.

"His sons were his world completely," said Trisha Fish, Henthorn's ex-wife and mother of Chance.

Fish said she and Henthorn met when they were rebellious teenagers. He loved Ford Mustangs and Sooners football and was considered a catch among the girls. During his senior year in high school, he decided to earn his GED and enlist in the Army.

In the letter to his son, Henthorn expressed the conflict between wanting to serve his country and be a good father.

"I am here for good reasons," he wrote. "But I wish I was home."

Army Sgt. Frank B. Hernandez

Sgt. Hernandez

Frank Hernandez served on the front lines of the war in Iraq in 2003 and was apprehensive about returning -- this time leaving behind a new wife and son.

"He really did not want to go back," said his cousin Mary Lawrence. But she said "serving his country and protecting his country was one of his main goals in life."

Hernandez, 21, of Phoenix, was killed Feb. 17 when a bomb exploded near his vehicle in Tal Afar, an insurgent stronghold near Mosul in northern Iraq. He was based at Fort Lewis.

Hernandez had married his wife, Cristin, shortly before being redeployed to Iraq in October. He is also survived by their infant son, Aden.

He gave up a chance for college to join the Army, and hoped to become a police officer like his older brother, who had also served in the military.

In the initial invasion of Iraq, Hernandez served with an armored unit that conducted "thunder run" raids to seize Baghdad.