Sgt. Gillican

Army Sgt. Charles C. Gillican III

After his three stepdaughters had fallen asleep last Christmas Eve, Charles C. Gillican III dug out some hidden gifts for his wife, Tammy.

"I want to give this to you because I won't be here for our 10th anniversary," he told her, handing her a pearl necklace, earrings and ring.

Gillican, 35, of Brunswick, Ga., was killed May 14 in Kuwait. The National Guardsman was based in Brunswick, Ga.

Gillican, known as Chuck joined the Army in 1988 when he was just 18. A few years later, he saw war in the Persian Gulf region. He returned and enlisted in the National Guard, where he was known as an irreverent wisecracker.

"In hard times, he always cracked a joke," said Capt. Michael Ferunden. "It wasn't always a good joke, but he made us laugh anyway."

Gillican loved to spend time in the back yard with a cold beer, and the couple caught catfish together to fill their pond before he left for Iraq.

"I begged him not to go," Tammy Gillican said. "And he told me: 'Tammy, if I don't go, what will I tell my grandkids? How will I face them?"'

Army Spc. Steven R. Givens

Steven Ray Givens loved helping the children of Iraq. He sent pictures of them home and asked his family to send back Mardi Gras beads and candy in return.

Although his first tour in Iraq was tough, "he wanted to go back. He loved working with kids," said his uncle, Doug Givens.

Givens, 26, of Mobile, Ala., was killed May 8 by insurgents. He was based at Fort Benning.

Givens, a Houston, Texas native, lived much of his childhood in Mobile before moving to North Carolina.

He met his wife, Cayssia, before his first deployment to Iraq in 2003. They married three days before he shipped out for a second tour. The couple had a 2-year-old son, Blake.

The day before he died, a delivery man with a dozen roses showed up at his mother's home. Joyce McDuffie told the man he must have been given the wrong address.

But the card said "Happy Mother's Day" and was signed by Steven.

"He wasn't the type to send flowers," his uncle said. "This was a first."

Marines Staff Sgt. Anthony L. Goodwin

Anthony L. Goodwin had a minor stroke as he was being shipped home from Iraq, but he underwent a series of medical tests to prove he was able to return to duty.

"He's been wanting to be a Marine since he was 7 years old," said Goodwin's mother Brenda Cheney. "He died doing what he wanted to do."

Goodwin, 33, of Mount Holly, N.J., was killed May 9 by small-arms fire near Qaim.

Goodwin was born in Massachusetts and lived in San Antonio with his father before going to live in New Jersey with his mother.

He was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in high school and earned his GED before enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1989. He served in the first Gulf War, Angola and the Balkans.

He was based at Camp Lejeune and lived in North Carolina with his wife, Kimberly; daughter, Alyssa, 15, and son, Oury, 5.

"His life was his service," said his father, Paul Cheney. "He felt the people of Iraq needed him."

Cpl. Graham

Marine Lance Cpl. Lance T. Graham

Lance T. Graham was a towering 6-foot-5, but tenderhearted, "a gentle, gentle giant."

"A crooked little old smile, mischief in those eyes," said family friend Suzanne Hildebrand. "I don't know anybody who disliked him."

Graham, 26, of San Antonio, Texas, was killed May 7 when suicide bombers struck his convoy in Anbar province. He was based in San Antonio.

Graham graduated from high school and volunteered with local fire departments while attending fire academy classes.

"He was strong as an ox," said Mike Mulroney, who took classes with him. "As big of a guy as he was, he was approachable. He'd give you the shirt off his back if he could."

With a friend, Graham painted water towers, sold Christmas trees, took an impromptu ski trip to Colorado and nearly went to work on a fishing boat in Alaska.

He is survived by his mother, Sherry Graham, and father, Joe Graham, who served in Vietnam.

"We talked about the fact that you tell your children what you did, and when they follow in your footsteps it sometimes makes you proud, and sometimes it scares you," Hildebrand said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Grant

Jonathan Grant and his fiancee had planned to marry when Grant returned from Iraq in October.

But Grant, 23, of Pojoaque, N.M., died May 11 when the vehicle he was in hit an explosive device in Iraq. His reserve unit was stationed in Albuquerque.

"He had a great sense of humor," Eva Maestas recalled of her partner of seven years. "He loved to work out, play sports and was really into low riders."

Grant leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter and a son about 1 1/2 years old.

Maestas said she got pregnant with the couple's first child while still in high school and Grant dropped out to care for the child and allow her to graduate. He earned his GED in 2000.

Grant's grandmother, Margie Warner, 83, said her grandson's death took her by surprise.

"I didn't expect this because he said he was coming home soon," said Warner, who raised Grant since he was an infant.

Marine Lance Cpl. Jourdan L. Grez

Friends and family say Jourdan Grez had a genuine laugh and joined the Marine Reserves to prove he was a worthy father to his young son.

"He basically did it all for his son," said his brother, Armand Grez III. "He was just always a very purpose-driven person, and very honorable."

Grez, 24, of Harrisonburg, Va., died when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an explosive device in Iraq on May 11. His Marine Reserve unit was based in Roanoke, Va.

Born in Long Branch, N.J., the youngest of three sons, Grez was a gifted artist and loved sports, said another brother, Aric Grez.

"He was trying to make it so he'd be able to give (his son Colin) a nice future someday," said Grez's father, Armand Grez Jr. "He absolutely adored his son."

Grez Jr. said his son was a caring person who wanted to help others. After a car wreck killed a close friend in high school, Jourdan became a licensed emergency medical technician.

"He spent weekends working on ambulances around Richmond," Grez Jr. said.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Peter J. Hahn

Peter J. Hahn had hoped to begin life anew as an investment banker after his release from the military.

Hahn, from Metairie, La., had just celebrated his 31st birthday when he was killed May 24 by enemy fire in Baghdad. He had spoken to his wife, Jennifer, the day before, on their seventh wedding anniversary.

"He called us as much as I knew he could," she said. "He was a good father, just a great person. He was just so liked."

Hahn had planned to go back to college and finish his studies in investment banking, his wife said. They met when they were students at the University of New Orleans and married in 1998.

Hahn served in the Army for three years, then joined the National Guard in 1996.

The couple has a 6-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn.

Capt. Hinz

Marine Capt. Kelly C. Hinz

Nearly a year after his father died, Kelly Hinz sent his brother an e-mail with an important message.

"He wanted to make sure that we had flowers sent to his wife, Molly, for Mother's Day, and some for Mom, because my dad always sent her flowers," said his brother, Ben. "He was definitely devoted to his family."

Hinz, 30, of Woodbury, Minn., died May 2 in a midair collision of his F/A-18 Hornet fighter plane. He was based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Hinz had been living in San Diego with his wife, Molly, and their 7-month-old daughter, Abby.

The oldest of four boys, Kelly Hinz was a member of the state champion alpine ski team at his military prep school and came back after graduation to work as an assistant coach.

He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in 1997 with a degree in business administration. He became a private pilot and entered the Marines.

His death came nearly a year after his father, a former Navy pilot, died in a World War II-era plane he was flying during an air show in Wisconsin.

Army Staff Sgt. Thor H. Ingraham

Thor Ingraham's unit was involved in door-to-door searches in Fallujah -- but his mother only knows that from searching the Internet. Her son rarely spoke about his dangerous missions.

"He would only say, 'It's not been a good week,"' Betty Durst said. "I'm sure that's so we wouldn't worry."

Ingraham, 24, of Murrysville, Pa., was killed May 8 in Khalidiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee. He was based at Camp Greaves, Korea.

Ingraham dropped out of high school after 10th grade but later earned his GED. He took various jobs in construction and at a local concrete company before deciding to join the Army in 1999. Both his parents had also served.

An avid reader and animal lover, Ingraham at one point wanted to be a park ranger. He enjoyed the outdoors, camping and shooting.

"He had a wiry grin that was very good at relieving tension and smoothing things out when things got a little rough," said his uncle, the Rev. Bill Durst. "And I suspect he used this quite a bit in the military."

Staff Sgt. Ivy

Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall H. Ivy II

Kendall H. Ivy II joined the Marine Corps right out of high school. For him, no career other than a military one was desirable, his brother said.

"Our father, Ray, is a Korean War vet," Kevin Ivy said. "Ever since Kendall was a child, his dream was to be in the Marines."

Ivy, 28, of Galion, Ohio, died when the vehicle he was traveling in struck a roadside bomb in western Iraq on May 11. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

Kendall played football and baseball in high school. He joined the Marines after graduating in 1995 and went to Iraq in February.

He is survived by his wife, LeeAnne, two sons and a daughter. His wife is more than four months pregnant.

Kevin Ivy, 41, had just helped bury his aunt when he got the call from his sister-in-law telling him his younger brother had been killed.

"This has been tough for our family, but God will see us through it," he said. "He had been in the Marines for nine years and our worst fears have come true."

Army Sgt. Andrew R. Jodon

Andrew R. Jodon left the Army after a three-year enlistment in Germany and Bosnia, but signed up again after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Raymond McGonigal, his stepfather, said Jodon had a growing interest about what was happening in Iraq and had been getting tired of his civilian work as a prison guard.

"He was kind of bored by it," McGonigal said. "He had to be on the move all the time. He had to be doing something."

Jodon, 27, of Karthaus, Penn., was killed May 12 when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee near Samarra. He was based at Fort Stewart.

Andy Jodon, as family and friends knew him, ran track and played football in high school and graduated in 1996.

"He was a character, put it that way," said Anita Hahn, bartender at American Legion Post 813. "He always kept you laughing, kept you smiling, too -- telling jokes, doing pranks, dancing."

He is survived by his wife, Bobbi Jo, and her two children.

Army Staff Sgt. Tommy S. Little

Tommy S. Little joined the National Guard out of high school and planned to stay in as long as he was eligible -- much to his mother's chagrin.

"He loved the Guard, and he loved serving in the Army," Luedella Little said. "But sometimes I didn't want him to keep serving, and I would have put him over my knee to make him stop if I could have. But he was a grown man doing what he wanted to do."

Little, 47, of Aliceville, Ala., died May 2 at a Texas military hospital from injuries received April 19 when a roadside bomb ripped through his vehicle south of Baghdad.

Little worked for 20 years at the Aliceville Cotton Mill and joined the National Guard in 1983. He was based in Columbus, Miss., and was a veteran of the first Gulf War.

Survivors include his wife, Patricia Little, a daughter and three stepchildren.

Army Spc. Derrick J. Lutters

As a high school wrestler, Derrick Joseph Lutters went up against a mentally retarded opponent and let him win.

"He let the boy take him down, and when he did he patted him on the back to say 'good job,"' said his father, Chuck Lutters. "He got a standing ovation from the crowd and the coaches shook his hand."

Derrick Lutters, 24, of Burlington, Colo., was killed May 1 when a suicide bomber attacked his vehicle south of Baghdad. He was based in Pittsburg, Kan.

Lutters graduated from high school in 1999 and worked as a corrections officer in Burlington, about 15 miles west of the Kansas-Colorado border.

He wanted to be a peacemaker and saw his deployment to Iraq as a way to fulfill that role. But the war was starting to wear on him.

"The last few times, you could just hear the uncertainty in his voice. This is not as good as he thought it would be," his father said.

Lance Cpl. Mahdee

Marine Lance Cpl. Marcus Mahdee

Marcus Mahdee was a quiet, unassuming kid in high school who played wide receiver and defensive back on the football team.

Mahdee, 20, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died May 9 of injuries he suffered in an explosion in Iraq. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune.

"He was a good kid," said Mahdee's grandmother, Essie Harris, who raised Mahdee with her husband, Linton. She said Marcus was active in the Church of Christ.

Essie Harris said she wanted her grandson to go into the Air Force like two of her sons, thinking the Marines would be too difficult. But she said Mahdee insisted on becoming a Marine.

"He went through basic training with flying colors," said Linton Harris, who attended his grandson's basic training graduation with his wife.

"They tell you to go somewhere, that's what you do," Harris said of Mahdee's fate of being deployed to Iraq. "If he didn't want to do that, he wouldn't have joined."