Army Cpl. Kevin W. Prince

Kevin Prince's grandfather, a World War II veteran, managed to talk him out of joining the Marines -- but not the Army. It wasn't the only time he didn't listen to his grandpa.

"At one of his soccer games, he got the ball and was headed in the wrong direction, so I yelled out at him," William Martin said. "He yelled back, 'Be quiet, Grandpa.' I guess I was confusing him."

Prince, 22, of Plain City, Ohio, was killed April 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, when he was hit by an explosive. He was based at Fort Irwin.

Prince was an avid soccer player from age 5 through high school. He worked part-time at his parents' bagel shop and enjoyed video games and movies. He became an avid reader after joining the Army in 2001 and wanted to go to college after he returned from Iraq.

Jason Prince remembered his brother as "a comical, real funny person who just enjoyed life and loved his family.

"He was only 22. He still had a lot more life left," Prince added. "I want people to know he's not just a number. There's a face behind that number."

He is survived by his parents, Susan and Ron Prince.

Army Cpl. William D. Richardson

The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks made a soldier out of William Dean Richardson.

"It lit a fire in his soul," said his older brother, Greg. "He couldn't stop talking about it. He wanted to make things right."

Richardson, 23, of Moreno Valley, Calif., drowned on April 3 in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Riley.

His family was told that Richardson fired all his ammunition to cover for his buddies who scrambled to safety, then jumped into a concrete-lined canal to escape insurgent fire.

In high school, Richardson was on the wrestling team and a ferocious linebacker on the football team.

"He was an animal," said former teammate Dan Ganczak. "He filled the other team with terror."

He enlisted in the Army in February 2002 and has served twice in Iraq. He is survived by his wife, Teara.

Marine Cpl. Garry Wesley Tan Rimes

Born and raised in the Philippines, Garry Wesley Rimes always loved war movies and wanted to be a U.S. Marine, just like his father.

"He achieved his goal in life," said his sister, Patty. "He wanted to serve the country and wanted to be a Marine."

Rimes, 30, of Santa Maria, Calif. died April 1 in fighting in Al Anbar province. He was based at Camp Pendleton, but while in Iraq he was attached to a division from Camp Lejeune.

Rimes came to the United States with his sister in 1996 and joined the Marines the following year. He left the Marines after four years of service, but rejoined a year later.

"He told us, 'Once you're a Marine, you're (always) a Marine,' and he went back," his sister said.

When he died, Rimes had been among a group shielding a wounded serviceman as he was resuscitated by medics. Friends said that jibed with Rimes' role as a loyal protector.

"If anybody messed with a buddy or friend, he backed them up," said Romeo Juta, a childhood friend from the Philippines.

Survivors also include his wife, who lives in the Philippines.

Army Sgt. James A. Sherrill

James Sherrill was engaged and expecting his first child, but he remained upbeat about being far away in Iraq.

"He always kept the bright side," said his father, William. "He was never down."

Sherrill, 27, of Ekron, Ky., was killed April 3 in Bayji, Iraq, when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was based in Paducah, Ky.

Sherrill joined the Kentucky National Guard after serving four years as a Marine. He was deeply religious, and aspired to be both a police officer and a minister.

"James was the type of person that when you met him he left a lasting impression on you," said Nona Cleaver, whose husband baptized Sherrill. "He knew no enemies, he knew no strangers. James could minister to your soul just by the way he reached out to people. He was a beautiful human being."

James Chism, a boyhood friend of Sherrill's, said he put "God and his family" first and seemed to have no misgivings about going to war.

"He said, 'I'll be all right, I have God with me.' I'll never forget that," Chism said.

Sherrill is survived by his fiancee, Stephanie Blevins, who was expecting the couple's first child.

Army Pfc. Steven F. Sirko

Pfc. Sirko

Steven Sirko used to talk about becoming a history teacher and a football coach. But the last time the family heard from him, he said he was happy in Army and never wanted to leave.

"He told me he wanted to be a lifer," said his stepbrother, Jason Farley.

Sirko, 20, of Portage, Ind., died April 17 in his sleep in Muqdadiyah, Iraq. The cause of death was under investigation. The combat medic was based at Fort Benning.

Sirko, a former high school football player, wrestler and swimmer, decided he wanted to fight terrorism after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He met another medic, Virginia, in training and they were married in October.

"He was very popular. The girls were crazy about him and the guys respected him. Steven had the type of personality where, when you met him, you fell in love with him," said his father, Rick Sirko.

Steven Sirko had been offered a chance to join the Army's Special Forces and remain stateside, but he wanted to be deployed near his new wife in Iraq.

"Steve was never without a smile," said Sgt. Gregg Campbell. "You could always count on him to lighten the mood."

Army Spc. Randy L. Stevens

Spc. Stevens

On his last visit home, Randy Stevens rode go-carts at Busch Gardens and loaded up on T-shirts and Kool Aid, which he said was "like gold" in Iraq.

"In so many ways he was a man, but he was also still a kid who liked to do kid things, like going to amusement parks," said his brother, Jacob Maxwell.

Stevens, 21, of Creek, Mich., was killed April 16 after being hit by indirect fire from mortars and rockets in Ramadi. He was so close to leaving Iraq that he had sent his things back to Fort Carson.

At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Stevens went from playing football in high school to being the first sharpshooter in the door on many operations in Iraq.

Family members said the military helped Stevens get through tough times. He had dropped out of high school but earned his general equivalency diploma when he enlisted in 2002. He had just re-enlisted for another six years.

Stevens planned to become an Army recruiter in Flint and someday open an auto body repair shop with his brother. He had a passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Ford Mustangs.

He is survived by his mother, Sherri Stevens and father, David Maxwell.

Army Staff Sgt. Ioasa F. Tavae Jr.

Ioasa Tavae was warm and caring, even when leading troops into war.

"His humor, his friendship and his aura drew people to him," said U.S. Commander Todd B. McCaffrey. "He was a man whose soldiers followed him not because of rank or position but because of respect and admiration. He was a man to whom others flocked to because of his character."

Tavae, 29, of Pago Pago, American Samoa, was killed April 2 when his unit was attacked by small arms fire in Mosul. He was based at Fort Lewis.

Tavae's father, Too Ioasa Tavae, called his son a warm person who liked to joke with his family and who didn't show any animosity to others.

"My son was laid back and an easygoing person," he said.

Army Maj. Steven W. Thornton

A father of three and grandfather of five, Steven Thornton had been an Army chaplain for more than 20 years.

"He loved being a chaplain. He loved counseling soldiers," said his wife, Brenda.

Thornton, 46, of Eugene, Ore., died April 18 after collapsing during a training run at Camp Arifjan.

Thornton and his wife grew up in Springfield, Ore., and met at the Church of the Nazarene there in 1981. They were married that November.

Thornton held a bachelor's degree in religious theology from Mid-America Nazarene College in Olathe, Kan., and a master of divinity degree in religious theology from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo.

His military career took his family to many states, including Washington, Colorado, Kansas and Hawaii. He was stationed at Fort Monmouth and previously served a year each in Iraq and South Korea.

"He was a wonderful husband and a wonderful father," Brenda Thornton said. "He was really proud of his kids."

Army Sgt. Tromaine K. Toy Sr.

Tromaine Toy had been in Iraq since August, and he wanted to come home to his wife and two children.

"He told us about how he was ready to come home," said his younger brother, Tyrell. "He liked the Army, but he wanted me to go to college."

Toy, 24, of Eastville, Va., was killed April 16 after being hit by indirect fire from mortars and rockets in Ramadi. He was based at Fort Carson.

A gifted basketball player who never took himself seriously, Toy joined the Army at the age of 18 after graduating from high school because he wanted to see the world.

He bonded with his younger brother over basketball, sharing a love of Kobe Bryant and one-on-one games. In the past year, Tyrell finally grew taller than his 6-foot brother.

"I kept talking junk to him about how I was going to beat him when he got back. Last time, he beat me," Tyrell said.

Toy is survived by his wife, Dominique, and two children, ages 6 and 16 months.

Marine Lance Cpl. Juan C. Venegas

Juan Venegas planned to become a firefighter after returning home from his second tour of duty as a Marine in Iraq, and he dreamed of becoming a professional boxer.

But Venegas, 21, of Simi Valley, Calf., died April 7 in a vehicle accident. He was stationed at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

"He was unstoppable to me, like a machine," said Venegas' 19-year-old sister, Erica. "I really looked up to him."

Venegas met his fiancee, Mariam Khoury, 23, in 2003 through mutual friends after Venegas had enlisted. She said Venegas wanted the couple to have a perfect wedding.

"With us it was beyond love; we were soulmates," she said.

Barbara Hatton, interim principal at Venegas' high school, said his name will be added to a plaque encased in glass in the school library that contains the names of other fallen soldiers stretching back to World War II.

"It's just so sad," she said. "For his family, for our school and the community."

Army Spc. Gary W. Walters Jr.

Spc. Walters

Gary Walters, a father of three with a fourth on the way, joined the Army after working a string of jobs including selling cars and installing satellites.

"He wanted to settle down and he wanted to take care of his family," said his mother, Margaret Stanley.

Walters, 31, of Victoria, Texas, was killed April 24 in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was based at Fort Stewart.

Walters joined the Army in 2003 and married Johnna, the mother of his 5-year-old child, two months before being deployed. She is pregnant and he has two children from previous relationships.

Stanley said her son had signed up for the military briefly when he was 17, but he didn't complete his enlistment because of some turmoil in his life.

When he joined in September 2003, she said, he was ready to serve. Before leaving for Iraq, he made amends with his father-in-law.

"He was making peace with everybody before he left," she said. "He would try to tell me he wasn't scared about going, but I told him it was OK. ... He was going to Iraq. Who wouldn't be scared?"

Army Cpl. Glenn J. Watkins

Glenn Watkins was scheduled to return home from Iraq, but signed up for another six months so he could hook up with his Army buddies from a unit in California.

"He was thrilled," said his wife, Anne Watkins. "He said, 'I'm back with my boys."'

Watkins, 42, who listed his hometown as Carlsbad, Calif., was killed April 5 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. The guardsman was based in Kent, Wash., and lived with his family in Tacoma.

Watkins was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and worked as a construction worker and carpenter. He joined the Navy in August 1981 and later did stints with the Navy Reserve, active duty Army between and California and Washington National Guard units.

He married his wife 10 1/2 years ago and had four stepchildren. Anne Watkins said her husband was a quiet guy who could crack her up with a prank, joke or general goofiness.

"He was so funny," she said. "I remember once before we were married he came to my front door and yelled, 'Romeo, Romeo, it's me, Juliet.' I had to tell him he got it backwards."

Army Pfc. Kevin S.K. Wessel

Kevin S.K. Wessel's first love was the Coast Guard. He was an active member of the Sea Cadets, an auxiliary program that introduces teenagers to Navy life.

But when he found there was a two-year waiting list for the Coast Guard, he decided to join the Army instead and shipped out to Iraq, where he said he was "living my dream."

Wessel, 20, of Newport, Ore., was killed April 19 in Baghdad when a car bomb detonated near his patrol. He was based at Fort Stewart.

Wessel grew up in Honolulu and was a bright, intense and sensitive person who enjoyed hiking, camping and anything to do with the outdoors. He wanted to be a pilot and flew in gliders and small planes with his father, a pilot for United Airlines.

"I think his father unofficially taught him how to fly," family friend Chuck Arthur said.

Wessel joined the Army after graduating from high school and wrote to family and friends almost daily from Iraq.

"Explosions can be heard at all hours of the day, but we've gotten used to 'em," he wrote.

He is survived by his parents, Paul and Lori.