Army Sgt. Kenneth L. Ridgley

Kenneth L. Ridgley used to hang out at local military recruiting stations as a child, dreaming of becoming a soldier.

"Since he was a kid, being in the Army was all he ever wanted to do," said Earl Strausbaugh, Ridgley's brother-in-law.

Ridgley, 30, of Olney, Ill., died March 30 in Mosul, Iraq, after his unit was attacked by small arms fire. He was based at Fort Lewis.

He joined the Illinois National Guard as a high school senior and served for six years, a move that helped him earn his tuition at Southern Illinois University.

He was a roper on the university's rodeo team and left college to become a blacksmith. He also worked in Colorado as a wrangler and horse-shoer.

Three years after leaving the National Guard, Ridgley enlisted in the Army.

"After 9/11 he said he regretted that he had not just joined Army right after high school," said his mother, Betty Richards.

Ridgley married his wife, Charity, in August and had been in the process of adopting her 3-year-old son, Dillon.

Army Spc. Lizbeth Robles

As a girl, Lizbeth Robles used to sit in her hometown along the Puerto Rican coast, dreaming of the land across the ocean. When she grew up, Robles explored it in the Army.

"She told me, 'Don't worry, there's danger everywhere. If something's going to happen to me, it could just as easily happen in Puerto Rico. This is what I like, and this is the work I want to do,"' said her aunt, Delia Diaz.

Robles, 31, of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, died March 1 from injuries she sustained when her Humvee crashed in Bayji. She was stationed at Fort Carson.

"Lizbeth liked the Army, driving the tankers and trucks. She wanted to remain in the armed forces," said her father, Santiago Diaz. "She wanted to study and to learn and to defend the nation."

She had served in South Korea, Uzbekistan and at various U.S. posts.

Another aunt, Judith Robles, remembered "an exemplary child."

"She was very studious. Everything she set her mind to, she would do. Every time she set a goal I felt proud," she said.

She also is survived by her husband, Stokley Smith.

Army Spc. Adriana N. Salem

Spc. Salem

At 6 a.m., when most of her classmates were still hitting the snooze button, Adriana Salem would be at school, hitting the gym to run and work out.

"She was pretty driven, very committed and driven," said Bruce Bazsali, head of her high school's physical education division.

Salem, 21, of Elk Grove Village, Ill., was killed March 4 when a vehicle she was riding in rolled over in Remagen, Iraq. She was based at Fort Stewart.

Salem played violin in the school orchestra and joined the school's Italian club on a trip to Italy the summer after she graduated. As president of her school's group against drunk driving, she taught grade-school pupils about the dangers of tobacco and asked classmates to pledge sobriety at big dances.

"She was one of those people that is just a kind soul," said teacher Jim Arey.

Salem wanted to become a police officer and thought joining the military would help her achieve her career goals. After Sept. 11, she decided it was her time to enlist.

"She was called to serve, and she served," said family spokesman Sgt. 1st Class Richard Myers.

Army Sgt. Isiah Sinclair

Isiah Sinclair was an enthusiastic member of his high school marching band, and his halftime performances were something to see.

"He was Michael Jackson and James Brown all rolled into one. ... Everyone wanted to see Ike perform," said his brother, Langston Sinclair Jr. "He really liked the drums, but they put him on the cymbals. Well, he took those cymbals and made something happen."

Sinclair, 31, was killed March 26 in Baghdad when a terrorists roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee. He was based in Shreveport, La.

Sinclair grew up in grew up in Crowley, La., but gave his address as Natchitoches, where he attended Northwestern State University and worked for Wal-Mart.

He planned to become a businessman after military service and talked of starting a gospel record company.

"He was intelligent and could do anything with computers. Ike was also the only black man I knew who could speak Japanese," Langston Sinclair said.

He is also survived by his mother, Peggy Sinclair.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin S. Smith

Kevin S. Smith was a softhearted guy, but he did what he could to hide it.

"He was genuine, kind and gentle, but he did not want people to know that," said his high school Spanish teacher, Marsha Stoner. "He had a very good heart and he loved his family."

Smith, 20, of Springfield, Ohio, was killed March 21 in Iraq's Anbar province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Smith was due to return from duty in October. He planned to marry his fiancee, Kristi M. Leider, and become a police officer, said his stepmother, Kelly Smith.

"He was outstanding. ... He brought a lot of joy to the family. We'll miss him more than words can say," she said.

In addition to his stepmother and fiancee, Smith is survived by his parents Ronald Smith and Kathy Smith.

Army Staff Sgt. Juan M. Solorio

No adventure was too big for Juan Solorio. In Thailand, the hiker and rock climber happily tried local dishes made with insects and snakes.

"When it came to food or trying new things, he was doing it," said his brother, Gerald Solorio Jr.

Juan Solorio, 32, of Dallas, was killed March 4 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Mosul. The father of two was two weeks away from his 12th anniversary with his wife, Gabby. He was based at Fort Lewis.

Solorio joined the Army after graduating from Dallas' magnet high school for the health professions. He decided to make the military his career.

An avid outdoorsman, Solorio used his free time to camp, hike and rock climb with his brothers. He also served as a scout master, which allowed him to share his interests with his sons, 11-year-old Julian and 8-year-old Maxmilian.

"Everything he did was done with pride and humor and he was my best friend and the love of my life," Gabby Solorio said. "He died with his boots on and we would have had it no other way."

Army Sgt. Paul W. Thomason III

Spc. Thomason

The second-graders at Jefferson Elementary School always looked forward to the upbeat letters from Paul Thomason, who had four children of his own.

"Hello class," he wrote. "I was sure glad to get everyone's letters and colorings... There are no camels this far north... I had my first Whopper in months! It was sure good compared to Army food and field rations."

The letter arrived the day after Thomason, 37, of Talbot, Tenn., was killed March 20 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Kirkuk, Iraq. The National Guardsman was based in Greeneville, Tenn.

The lifelong resident of Sevier County, Tenn., graduated from high school in 1986 and worked in a warehouse at an envelope factory.

He died two days after celebrating his fifth anniversary with his wife, Amanda.

"He's my hero. He was my best friend. We did everything together," she said.

Amanda Thomason said she and the children -- ages 10, 7, 4 and 2 -- spoke to him by telephone the day before he died.

"He got to talk to the kids and tell the kids how much he loved them and how much he missed them and that he would see them in seven months," she said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua L. Torrence

Cpl. Torrence

Joshua Torrence was the kind of kid you wanted on your football team -- and not just because of his hulking 6-foot-2, 260 pound frame.

"He wanted to do whatever it took to help us win the game," said former high school teammate Brian Hoover. "It was never about him and it was always about team. That's why he went into the military. He wanted to help out the country."

Torrence, 20, of Lexington, S.C., was killed March 14 in while fighting in Anbar province. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Torrence, a Civil War re-enactor and four wheel drive enthusiast, graduated from high school in 2003 and joined the Marines the following January. He always came back to visit when he was home on leave, said his former coach, Mark Cagle.

"I've got an 11-year-old son that thought Josh was unbelievable," Cagle said. "If my son Steven grows up to be like Josh Torrence, I'd be unbelievably proud of him."

He is survived by his parents, Vernon and Regina Torrence.

Army Spc. Eric L. Toth

Eric Toth was an outgoing young man who touched the lives of those around him.

His commander, Capt. John H. Holmes, said Toth "inspired every one of us to be better than we ever thought we could be and touched our lives indelibly."

Toth, 21, of Edmonton, Ky., was killed March 30 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was based in Tompkinsville, Ky.

Toth joined the National Guard in May 2001, the same year he graduated from high school, where he was well liked.

"He was a person that all staff members and all students enjoyed being around. He was just an exceptional young man," said principal Chris Huffman.

Toth was originally a mess cook in the National Guard, but for his deployment to Iraq, he was trained to be a military policeman.

A volleyball enthusiast, Toth also enjoyed watching movies and playing football and basketball. In civilian life, he worked at an automative parts plant in Glasgow, Ky.

He is survived by his wife of two years, Andrea.

Army Spc. Wade Michael Twyman

Wade Twyman began his law enforcement career in junior high school when he joined a sheriff's department cadet program.

That experience piqued his interest, and he worked as a corrections officer and a sheriff's deputy before joining the Army in 2003.

"He was a real together kid, always knew what he wanted to do," said the Rev. Eric Menees, chaplain for the San Marcos Fire Department, where Twyman's father had been a longtime division chief. "He had a mindset for public service, a true patriot."

Twyman, 27, of Vista, Calif., was killed March 4 when an explosive device detonated near his Humvee. He was assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

Twyman's father, John, said he had been praying as he counted down the months his son had left in Iraq.

He said his son was proud of his service in Iraq, but was thinking about his future and was planning to go to college to study architecture or photography.

Twyman is also survived by his mother, Janice.

Marine Warrant Officer Charles G. Wells Jr.

Known by his family as "Lumpy" for having been a chubby baby, Charles Wells became a rock-solid Marine, a black belt-qualified martial arts instructor who was on his third tour of duty in Iraq.

"He was strong of body and strong of mind," said Capt. Chuck Valence.

Wells, 32, of Montgomery, Ala., was killed March 30 after his vehicle struck a land mine on a logistics patrol.

He was based in Orlando, Fla., where he worked with a fire and rescue unit. He had completed emergency medical training and was preparing to become a firefighter when he volunteered to go back to Iraq.

Zacc Haeus met Wells when he was a recruiting assistant who taught Haeus how to "keep my nose clean" and succeed as a Marine. He remembered Wells as fun-loving and kind.

"A lot of times, when people pass, they really try to say the best things they can say about you, but I mean, it's really true. He's one of those guys that you can't say anything negative about," Haeus said.

Wells is survived by his wife, Nicole, 33, and a four-year-old daughter.

Army Spc. Nicholas E. Wilson

Nicholas Eugene Wilson was his mother's "miracle child," born three months prematurely and rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit.

"They said if he was going to survive, he would be a real fighter," said his mother, Debbie Newhouse.

As he grew, it became clear that her son was an adrenaline junky.

"Ever since (the movie) 'Twister,' he's always wanted to chase tornados," his mother said. "He always wanted to learn the hard way. He always went for the gusto in life."

Wilson, 21, of Glendale, Ariz., was killed March 11 in Ramadi, Iraq, when his Humvee rolled into a water-filled ditch. He was based at Camp Casey, South Korea.

Wilson enlisted in the Army in February 2003 after hearing his father's stories from Vietnam and the Gulf War. "He said it sounded exciting," Newhouse said.

He planned to attend the University of Arizona when he came back.

"He said, 'There's a lot of good-looking chicks there,"' his mother said. "And I said, 'I know, I went there.' And he said, 'That's too much information, mom."'