Army 1st Lt. Louis E. Allen

1st Lt. Allen

Louis E. Allen was a father of four who drove more than an hour each way to the high school where he taught science.

"He loved kids. He had a real passion for our students," Superintendent Joseph P. Zanetti said.

Allen, 34, of Milford, Pa., was killed June 8 in an explosion in Tikrit that was under investigation. He was based in Troy, N.Y.

A staff sergeant is accused of murdering Allen and another officer and making it look like an enemy attack.

A West Point graduate, Allen enlisted in 1988 and was married with four children under the age of six. "Lou gave me the life I always wanted but I never thought I would have," said his wife, Barbara.

"Lou always had a way of making people feel good," said longtime friend Greg Makowsky. "If my son grows up to be half the man Lou is, I'll be the happiest father in the world."

Air Force Capt. Derek Argel

When he was in fifth grade, Derek Argel started showing up at high school water polo practices. He eventually grew to 6-foot-6, became the school's most valuable player and went on to play at the Air Force Academy.

"He worked exceptionally hard. He never took anything for granted," athletic director Bob Lawrence said.

Argel, 28, of Lompoc, Calif., was killed May 30 in a crash of his surveillance plane about 80 miles northeast of Baghdad. He was based at Hurlburt Field.

Argel loved the water -- in addition to playing water polo, he worked as a lifeguard, fished and surfed. He kept fishing poles and surf boards in the garage with hopes of passing his hobbies on to his 11-month son, Logan.

"He was very adventurous and outdoorsy," said his aunt, Carolyn Gentry, recalling how he used to trek through the woods with her son. "They loved to be out in nature and camp, and go out looking for critters and snakes."

Though he was happiest spending time at the beach and playing with the family's two dogs, he felt God intended him to be in the military.

"He was just a soldier by every means of the imagination" said his wife, Wendy.

Army Sgt. Roberto Arizola Jr.

Sgt. Arizola

Roberto Arizola, Jr. liked to play video games and sports with his 7-year-old son. His family delayed the boy's birthday party so Arizola could be there.

"He was always with his family," said his wife, Monica.

But on June 8, a day before he was scheduled to return from Iraq, Arizola was killed when a device exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. The 31-year-old from Laredo, Texas, was based at Fort Gordon.

Arizola graduated from high school in 1992 and had enlisted in 1996. He had been a border patrol agent in Laredo before being sent to Iraq.

"We just can't believe it was his last day there," said his mother, Cecilia Arizola. "He was a good person. Everybody loved him."

Arizola was deployed to Iraq in May 2004. He briefly returned in December and kept in frequent touch through phone calls and e-mail.

"He was a great father, great son, great soldier, just a great person," said his brother, Ricardo.

Army Staff Sgt. Larry R. Arnold Sr.

Larry R. Arnold Sr. had racked up 20 years in the military and was ready to retire when his unit was called up to Iraq. He didn't try to avoid a second tour of duty.

"He wanted to go over there and finish what he started," said his wife, Melinda.

It made sense, since Arnold's time at home was spent worrying about his comrades -- and his son, Spc. Robert "Bobby" Arnold.

"He wanted to get back to see if they were OK. The whole time he was here, he was worried about them," said another son, Larry Arnold Jr.

The elder Arnold, 46, of Carriere, Miss., was killed June 11 when an improvised explosive device detonated beside his vehicle. He was based in Lucedale, Miss.

Arnold "was gung-ho about old cars," his son Larry Jr. said. "We had 24 antique cars on our property at one time, dating from the '30s to the 1970s."

An electrician by trade, he spent hours of his leave helping renovate a neighboring mobile home for Larry Arnold Jr., his fiancee and his two children.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Cesar O. Baez

While away at war, Cesar O. Baez got a care package with an item that would change his life: a blue baby bootie.

The father of three young girls was going to have a fourth child in September, "a baby boy," said his father, also Cesar. "He really wanted a baby boy."

"He called everybody in the family," said Bernardina Baez, his mother. "He was so happy."

Baez, 37, of Pomona, Calif., died June 15 when an explosive detonated near his vehicle near Ramadi. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.

Baez had served 10 years in the Navy after serving four years in the Marine Corps. He got his diploma from Pomona Adult School and hoped to eventually become a doctor.

Baez is survived by his wife, Rosanna, and daughters, Isabel, 8, Sydney, 5, and Suzy, 4.

"I will miss my son more than words can express," said his father. "He was a great child, hero and father."

"My son will live on through his son," his mother said.

Marine 1st Sgt. Michael S. Barnhill

Michael S. Barnhill was a family man who refereed youth soccer and rode dirt bikes with his son.

"Mike was a very devoted family person and devoted to the Marine Corps," said Candy Stickney of the Orangevale, Calif., Youth Soccer Club.

Barnhill, 39, of Folsom, Calif., was killed May 28 after his vehicle struck an explosive near Haqlaniyah. The reservist was based in Eugene, Ore.

Barnhill had worked as a state prison guard for more than 15 years and had been married to his wife, Joanna, for 19. The couple have a son, 15, and two daughters, ages 14 and 11.

A martial arts enthusiast who earned a black belt, Barnhill played baseball, soccer and wrestled in high school and loved to swim.

He joined the Marines in 1983 and attended the Naval Aircrewman Candidates School. He left active duty in 1989 and joined the Marine Corps Reserve seven months later.

He began his second tour of duty in Iraq in January, said Aaron Moxley, a family friend.

"Mike Barnhill was first and foremost always a Marine," Moxley said. "Duty and honor first."

Army Spc. Bryan Edward Barron

Bryan Edward Barron came home from basic training last Christmas to meet his newborn daughter, Jada. He left for Iraq and was expected home in June for her first birthday.

Instead Barron, 26, of Gulfport, Miss., was killed May 23 when an explosive detonated in Haswa. The National Guardsman was based in Biloxi, Miss.

Barron was an avid hunter and fisherman who loved cars -- especially Porsches. He bought one and wanted another, his brother-in-law said. Family and friends remembered his great sense of humor and penchant for practical jokes.

Jodi Daniels, Barron's sister, said her brother developed a serious interest in the military after he enlisted last summer.

"He was so gung-ho about joining the military, and what he was learning," Daniels said. "I really think he would have made a career out of it. ... He would tell stories about it, and ramble on in initials and nobody knew exactly what he was talking about."

He is also survived by his wife, Amanda, and another daughter, Hayley West, 8.

Marine Lance Cpl. Dustin V. Birch

Dustin V. Birch was known for his wit -- and he kept his sense of humor even at war.

"He wrote once and said life here is peachy, only without the peaches," said his aunt, Paulette Kirkham.

Birch, 22, of Saint Anthony, Idaho, was killed June 9 in an explosion in Haqlaniyah. He was based in Boise.

Growing up, Birch was a soccer player who played saxophone, ran track and became an Eagle Scout. He was a talented debater and was active on his high school newspaper.

He also worked at the family business and helped his grandfather farm.

He completed a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and completed a semester at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City before his reserve unit was called up.

Teacher Mike Carlson said at first he was surprised when Birch decided to join the Marines as a reservist. But knowing his dedication to studies helped Carlson understand.

"When Dustin engaged in something, he gave it his all, his best," he said.

Birch is survived by his parents, Debbie and Paul Birch.

Army Spc. Eric T. Burri

Spc. Burri

Joanne Burri says her son Eric thought of his time in the Army as an adventure, much the same as his trip to Uruguay several years ago as an exchange student.

"He was an adventurous boy. He wanted to see the world," she said.

Eric T. Burri, 21, of Wyoming, Mich., was killed June 7 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Bragg.

Burri loved to travel, learn languages and meet people. He joined the Army the year he graduated from high school.

His enthusiasm and love for his country convinced his best friend, Patrick Sova, to join the military as well. "He was outgoing and wanted to serve his country, and I wanted to be a part of that too," Sova said.

While overseas, Burri leaned on his trust in God and was looking forward to returning home.

"He wanted to get back, get it done, because he was due to come back in October," said Patrick's father, Bruce Sova. "He just wanted to start his life."

Burri is survived by his parents, John and Joanne.

Army Sgt. Casey Byers

Sgt. Byers

Casey Byers never got to meet his infant daughter, Hailey.

"I will make sure Hailey will know who the real Casey Byers was," his mother, Ann, wrote in a letter read at his funeral. "The Army may have taken my son, but they also are the ones who gave him life."

Byers, 22, of Schleswig, Iowa, died June 11 when a roadside bomb exploded under his Humvee south of Ramadi. He was based in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Byers grew up in Vail, Iowa, and graduated from high school in 2001. He later attended Iowa Lakes Community College and worked for Casey's General Stores.

Former classmate Brandon Laubscher remembered Byers as an adventurous, funny guy who looked out for everybody -- to "make sure everything was squared away."

Two days before his funeral, Byers' brother, Army Spc. Paul Justin Byers, stepped into the path of a pickup and was killed. It was ruled an accident.

In a letter written for his brother's funeral, Paul Byers said he joined the Army, like Casey, to get money for college, but soon learned there was a greater cause at stake.

"If I could say anything to him, it would be, 'Yes, Casey, I'm exactly like you and I stand here today proud to say it," the letter said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Mario A. Castillo

The baby of his family, Mario A. Castillo was nicknamed "Happy" by the Marines in his platoon because "he was always smiling, always happy, always willing to help," said his sister Sonia Sandoval.

Castillo, 20, of Brownwood, Texas, was killed June 10 in Saqlawiyah when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. He was based at Camp Lejeune.

Castillo decided to join the Marines when he was a junior in high school. He wanted to enlist before he graduated, but his parents wouldn't sign the papers.

"His dream was to be a Marine," said another sister, Julia Rodriguez. "He had set very high goals for himself at a very young age. He was going to achieve them all."

He married his wife, Angela, in a civil ceremony in September 2003, and they bought a home near the ocean in North Carolina. He had promised his wife's parents that they would have a church wedding after he returned from Iraq, and they planned to start a family.

Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Chavez

Daniel Chavez went out of his way to do nice things for people -- he tutored classmates in math and sent his mom four cards for Mother's Day.

"Out of six kids, he was always the one that just grabbed your attention," said his sister Lydia. "There was always something about him that you could just love and love and love and love."

Chavez, 20, of Seattle, was killed June 9 in an explosion in Haqlaniyah. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Born in Odessa, Texas, Chavez played basketball and baseball and never missed a day of school.

"If every student was like Danny, there wouldn't be any teachers who would think of doing anything else for a living," teacher Steve Molnes said.

Chavez joined the Marines last year after graduating from high school and had talked about becoming a police officer or mechanic and buying his mother a house.

"He was one of those kids you could see was really going to make something out of his life," teacher Terry Gosse said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Holly A. Charette

Cpl. Charette

When Holly Charette enlisted in the Marine Corps after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, her family was uneasy about her decision -- and told her so.

"We just said that it's dangerous, and things are getting crazier and crazier in the world," said her stepfather, Edward Roberts.

But the blonde former cheerleader wanted to join, motivated partly by a sense of patriotic duty and partly by a desire to make a difference.

Charette, 21, of Cranston, R.I., was killed June 23 when her convoy was ambushed by a suicide car bombing in Fallujah. She was based at Camp Lejeune.

Charette graduated from high school in 2001 and had attended the Community College of Rhode Island before joining the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks.

She served as a mail carrier in Iraq and had said she planned to apply for a job at the U.S. Post Office when she left the military.

Charette is survived by her stepfather and mother, Regina, and father, Raymond Charette.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Regina R. Clark

Petty Officer Clark

Regina R. Clark knew she was headed to dangerous territory. A few days before she died, a man right behind her was shot. But she was ready for anything.

"She is by far the strongest human I've ever known," said friend Kim Elliott, "not woman but human."

Clark, 43, of Centralia, Wash., was killed June 23 when a vehicle drove near her convoy in Fallujah and exploded. She was assigned to a unit from Camp Lejeune.

Born in Kassel, Germany, Clark attended college on softball scholarships and joined the Marine reserves. Her brother and father served in the Navy, and she was a veteran of Desert Storm.

Clark was called up one week after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In March 2003, the morning she headed to Kuwait, she told a local newspaper that she was ready to head to a hot spot.

She said she told her then-16-year-old son, Kerry, who worried she might not return, "I could leave for work on a normal day and not come back. We never have any guarantees."

Elliott said Clark planned to retire from the military when she returned from Iraq.