ARMY SGT. JASON R. ARNETTE‘s wife, Shenandoah, said he “accepted everybody” and believed he could “connect with anybody.” One of Arnette’s ambitions, she said, was to adopt a black child because the white soldier felt it would send a message against racism.
Arnette, 24, of Amelia, Va., was killed April 1 in a roadside bombing southwest of Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Drum and was on his third tour.
He was attending John Tyler Community College before he joined the Army and he had planned to continue his education. He was adventurous, a lover of sports and the outdoors, and wanted to become a history teacher.
At 13 and again at 16, Arnette and others from Faith Christian Church traveled to Guatemala for building projects. He had been in the ROTC and loved soccer. He once persuaded a friend to sign up for a bungee jumping stunt.
Arnette was not due for rest and rehabilitation until this spring, but he pulled some strings and surprised his wife, who was graduating from Radford University.
“He had a romantic Christmas surprise for her that any woman would love to have,” said his mother, Michelle Arnette.
In seventh grade, ARMY PFC. JEFFREY A. AVERY met a boy on the school bus who would become his best friend. Chris Parson and Avery spent summers together trying to be cowboys, including bull riding.
“He was scared at first, and then afterwards, I can always remember, he just jumped off and said ‘Let’s do it again,”‘ Parson said.
Avery, 19, of Colorado Springs, died April 23 in Muqudadiyah from wounds suffered from an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis.
He was taking classes at Pikes Peak Community College, where he majored in criminal justice. He wanted to be a police officer and had been serving as a military policeman. “He was an awesome kid,” said Angel Madonna, a friend.
Avery wore cowboy hats and big belt buckles. He loved hunting, camping and fishing. A favorite song was “Don’t Take the Girl,” by Tim McGraw.
“He was a sweetheart, jubilant, a lot of fun to be with,” said his grandmother, Dorothy Avery.
He is survived by his father, Richard and stepmother Jennifer; and his mother, JoAnn Sanchez and her fiance, Doug Trembly.
In a letter read at ARMY STAFF SGT. ROBERT J. BASHAM‘s funeral, Brian Basham remembered a brother who was always the life of the party, who didn’t mind acting goofy even if it meant dancing the “worm” in his Kenosha Military Academy uniform at prom.
“Know that I will live my life to the fullest in your honor. Love, your biggest fan – Brian,” he read.
Basham, 22, of Kenosha, Wis., died April 14 in Doha, Qatar, of non-combat related injuries. A 2002 high school graduate, he was on his second tour and was assigned to Kenosha.
Basham enjoyed golf and loved to play poker. Brian Basham talked about his brother wanting to go into the Secret Service, while Brian would become an FBI agent and “side by side we were going to make a difference in the world.”
Capt. Paul Denton, remembered Basham as someone who loved being a soldier and volunteered to stay in Iraq. “He absolutely loved his job, he loved getting down in the dirt. When it came time for us to go home, he said, ‘Listen, I’m single, I have nothing to go back home for. I love being a soldier, I want to stay,”‘ said Denton.
He also is survived by his parents, Mitchell and Nora.
The Rev. Bill Fine recalled ARMY CPL. JASON J. BEADLES‘ fondness for hockey, but he could never be sure if Beadles – 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds – actually liked the game itself, or whether he simply liked “bumping into people and knocking them down.”
Beadles, 22, of La Porte, Ind., was accidentally electrocuted April 12. He was assigned to Fort Campbell and was a 2003 high school graduate.
“He was a wonderful student, and what a caring person. He was real affable, enthusiastic. He was the kind of son who would make a mother proud and the kind of student who would make a teacher proud,” said Sue Knop, his high school guidance counselor.
Camping, hunting, bonfires and country music were among the things he loved. It was common to see Beadles wrestling with his three nephews and two nieces.
“Uncle Jason was as much a kid as they were. He could easily be found playing in the sandbox or a pile of leaves,” said his mother, Delona.
The first thing Beadles wanted to do once he returned home was buy a motorcycle. He was planning to learn how to repair and build motorcycles as a career.
He also is survived by his father, Roger.
Just two hours before new father ARMY STAFF SGT. SHANE R. BECKER went out on his last mission, he contacted his wife by Webcam. “He had shaved his head, and we joked that he would be cuter than the baby,” she said.
Becker, 35, of Helena, Mont., was killed April 3 by small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was a 1990 high school graduate, on his second tour and was assigned to Fort Richardson.
“Despite how big and strong he was, he was the sweetest husband and father,” said his wife, Crystal. “He would always hold the door open for me, warm the car for me. He would tickle his daughter and go on bike rides with her.”
Becker was discharged from the Army in 1997 and worked in an oil field in Texas as a gas driller. After Sept. 11, 2001, Becker decided to re-enlist.
“Shane was the kind of kid every father dreams of having,” said Joe Becker, speaking of his oldest son. “He grew up to be a fine young man.”
He also is survived by his daughters, Cierra, 7, and newborn Cheyenna.
“When he had the time off, he and Cierra would get haircuts together,” said his stepfather, Bob Jorgensen. “When he wore camouflage, she wore camouflage. She was daddy’s little girl.”
Despite the danger, Jerry Bevel said being in the Army was the highlight of his son’s life.
“The Army changed my son, and he was so proud and held his head high because of the Army,” he said, referring to his son, ARMY CPL. RAY M. BEVEL.
“Up until he joined the Army, he really didn’t have any ambitions and that’s the great thing the Army did, it gave him ambitions and he felt like he was accomplishing something, and he had great pride.”
Bevel, 22, of Andrews, Texas, died April 21 in Yusifiyah of wounds suffered from an explosive. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Drum.
Brooke Bevel, the soldier’s 19-year-old wife, said she feels an emptiness since her husband’s death. They were married for 16 months, about half of which Ray was gone.
“We really didn’t have time to spend together, but he always made me laugh and he was the only person I could talk to and cry,” she said.
She said he had just seen a buddy in his platoon hit by a roadside bomb. “I always told him to be safe and be careful, but he would always say everything would be OK.”
NAVY CHIEF PETTY OFFICER GREGORY J. BILLITER Navy Chief Petty Officer Gregory J. Billiter was a competitor, never happy in second place.
“Every duty station he was at, he would either get into some kind of race or the group he was with would compete with other groups,” said Barry Billiter, his father.
Billiter, 36, of Villa Hills, Ky., was killed April 6 in combat near Kirkuk. He was assigned to Whidbey Island and was on his third tour.
He was a 15-year veteran of the Navy, joining shortly after graduating from the University of Dayton with a degree in marketing in 1991. He became an expert in the disposal of explosives.
“He was young when he graduated college, and he figured the Navy would give him some real-life experience,” said Barry Billiter. “He was always striving to be the best, and he was a just a great young man.”
Billiter played basketball and soccer in high school, focusing on intramural sports. A knee injury disqualify him from being a Navy Seal.
He also is survived by his wife, April, and son Cooper, 3.
“He never had any derogatory or negative things to say about anybody,” said his father. “He had great character, and he was a wonderful son.”
In November 2006, MARINE LANCE CPL. JEFFREY A. BISHOP married his best friend, Emma.
“We were just friends in high school and we just had this connection and we were close to each other always,” she said. “I guess just from the moment he came home from Afghanistan we knew we wanted to be together. We kind of waited for each other, like our moment was never right.”
Bishop, 23, of Dickson, Tenn., was killed April 20 during combat in Anbar province. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune. He was on his third tour of duty.
“Oh, we were so proud of him,” said his mother, Birdie Bishop. “He was always the leader. He was the top of his class in everything he did.”
She said her son was active in virtually every sport, including high school football. His nieces and nephews adored him.
“He was the kind that would always come to your rescue,” said his older sister, Wendy Stewart.
“We were planning our life together and we would talk on the phone for hours about everything,” Emma said. “We wanted to start a family, we wanted to get through my schooling so we could hurry up and start a family.”
ARMY SPC. RYAN A. BISHOP‘s older brother, Paul, said Ryan was the type of guy who always knew what to say to lighten up any situation. One restaurant won’t soon forget him.
“Every time he went in he would go to the bar, suck the helium out of a balloon and perform the ‘lollipop guild’ for the wait staff,” Paul Bishop said.
Bishop, 32, of Euless, Texas, was killed April 14 in Baghdad by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Drum.
“He was the most beautiful person I ever met,” said Melanie Bishop, his wife. “It changed your life just to know him.”
He was a 1996 graduate of Tyler Junior College. He also was a graduate of Marshall High School, where he was a member of the 1990 state championship football team.
“He was always excited about everything, that’s the kind of guy he was,” said Ted Storie, a former roommate. “He was the most intense person I ever met.”
Inspired by a friend’s military service, Bishop got into shape and joined the Army after years of working as a land surveyor.
“He lost a lot of weight, then he told us what he was going to do,” said his father, Charlie Bishop. “He took this extremely seriously.”
When he was a child, MARINE 1ST LT. SHAUN M. BLUE convinced his friend, Jeff Kocel, to stay in the Boy Scouts.
“Shaun urged me not to drop out,” said Kocel. “He said, ‘We can help other people, and it’s good for the community.”‘ Blue continued to sacrifice as he got older, cluttering his family’s garage with 25 broken wheelchairs at a time.
“He would work on the tires and fix the brakes, and then he would give them back,” said Chris Melder, a neighbor.
Blue, 25, of Munster, Ind., was killed April 16 during combat in Anbar province. He was a 2000 high school graduate and was assigned to Twentynine Palms.
The Scouts from Munster’s Boy Scout Troop recalled that Blue never made Eagle Scout because once he knew he could do it, he stopped to help other Scouts make the rank.
Blue graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Southern California and was a National Merit Scholar.
In high school, he ran track and cross country, and was on the wrestling team.
“He’d have your back no matter what,” friend Bob Yamtich said. “You knew you were in good hands when you were with him.”
He is survived by his parents, Jim and Debbie.
A towering young man at 6-foot-3 and easily over 250 pounds, ARMY PFC. KYLE G. BOHRNSEN never used intimidation to get his point across.
Instead, he used a solid handshake and gentle demeanor.
“Kyle never had trouble with people for one reason,” said Mike Cutler, his former principal. “They all respected him. And not just because of his size. He was a quiet leader; he led by example.”
Bohrnsen, 22, of Philipsburg, Mont., was killed by a roadside bomb April 10 in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Carson.
“He had what his sergeant called ‘the ability to make a career out of this,”‘ said his father, Geoff. “Even over there, people looked up to Kyle.”
In his free time, Bohrnsen loved bow hunting for elk and snowmobiling.
He worked as a professional hunting guide at Big M Outfitters. Bob Hogue, owner and operator, said he knew the country better than any guide they employed.
“We were skeptical hiring such a young kid, but that thought soon faded,” said Hogue. “He became part of our family and was an unbelievable role model and friend to our son.”
He also is survived by his mother, Lisa.
ARMY PFC. JOHN G. BORBONUS sat across from Sarah Flores in health class during their junior year of high school and she was entertained all year.
“He was cute and sweet and knew just what to say to make me laugh,” Flores said. “Most of our time together was spent laughing. The more I got to know him I realized that he had a sweet side to go along with his humorous one. I suddenly realized I could talk to him about anything.”
Borbonus, 19, of Boise, Idaho, was killed April 12 by an explosive in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Richardson.
“If tears could build a stairway and memories were a lane, I would walk right up to heaven and bring him back to you again,” his mother, Maggie, said at her son’s funeral.
Borbonus liked various sports, including skiing and lacrosse. He was a member of the USA Ski-team and Snowboard team when he attended middle school.
Hans Borbonus, who owns Falcon Crest Golf Course and Cloverdale Nursery, said his son worked briefly for him. “You know how kids are. You send them out to clean, and they take the cart racing around the golf course,” he said.
ARMY PFC. BRIAN A. BOTELLO‘s aunt was watching television coverage of a homecoming ceremony for a Marine Reserve unit when she got the call that her nephew had died in Iraq.
“It was hard to see all those happy families,” said Gaynell Martinez. “There will be no happy homecoming for Brian.”
Botello, 19, of Alta, Iowa, was killed April 29 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Carson.
“He was a fun guy,” said Lance Anderson, Botello’s friend. He described him as a real character, the kind of guy everybody liked, who was funny and outgoing.
“He didn’t care what anybody else thought. He always had funny haircuts – mohawk, bald, long hair.”
The Rev. Doug Corlew, senior pastor at Summit Evangelical Free Church in Alta, where Botello worshipped, said the young soldier will be greatly missed.
“We are very proud of Brian for his brave service to our country and his sincere desire to make his life count in the protection of our freedoms,” Corlew said.
He also is survived by his mother, Karen Brophey.
Before enlisting in the Army, ARMY SPC. WILLIAM G. BOWLING worked at a computer business. That’s where he met Jennifer.
On Groundhog Day in February, four years ago, Bowling finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date. They saw “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” a romantic comedy.
It wasn’t his type of movie, but Bowling was a gentleman. He and Jennifer quickly became inseparable. They married soon after, on July 23, 2003.
“We were friends for a good while before we started dating,” said Jennifer, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child. “But we just always got along.”
Bowling, 24, of Beattyville, Ky., was killed April 1 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Drum and was on his second tour.
Bowling was an avid sports fan, following both the Indianapolis Colts and NASCAR. He was a fan of Dale Earnhardt and then rooted for his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“Knowing he could be placed in harm’s way again, he raised his right hand and said, ‘I’ll go, if you’ll send me,”‘ said Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
He also is survived by a daughter Hannah, 1.
At ARMY SGT. LARRY R. BOWMAN‘s funeral, his widow, Michelle, told of meeting her future husband for the first time.
“I was 15,” she said. “The very second I laid eyes on him, I gasped. He just took my breath away. He had such a wonderful presence and spirit. Everyone who knew him loved him.”
Bowman, 29, of Granite Falls, N.C., was killed April 13 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Lewis and was on his second tour.
Friends said he was the life of the party. With a chiseled face and Robert De Niro looks, Bowman drew people around him. But he only had eyes for Michelle.
“Our task force had a Soldier of the Quarter award,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Tabitha Hodge. “Bowman had to be approved before the board. He had to write an essay. In it, he mentioned his love for his wife.” He went by a motto: “Life has a taste that the sheltered will never know.”
Michelle Bowman said he was making plans for his return: They wanted to have a child. He wanted to buy a Jeep and eat barbecue.
She said they planned to climb Mount Rainier this summer. “I’m going to climb that mountain in his memory,” she said.
ARMY STAFF SGT. HARRISON BROWN‘s uncle, Hezekiah Brown, described his nephew as a “gentle giant who never wanted to hurt anybody.”
Brown, 31, of Prichard, Ala., was killed April 8 in Baghdad by small-arms fire. He was on his third tour and was assigned to Fort Benning.
Brown had been in the Army for 13 years. He was a standout wide receiver and played on the baseball and basketball teams in high school, graduating in 1994.
He played for one year on the Tuskegee University football team on a full scholarship. He left Tuskegee following his freshman year to join the Army so he could better support his family.
Among Brown’s former football teammates who attended his funeral was Clarence Giles, who called Brown “a real good person – real down-to-earth.”
Said Ben Harris, Brown’s former football coach: “He was a fine person all around.”
He was married to Delisha Brown, who had been his high school sweetheart. They have three children, ages 9, 12 and 14.
“This young man is a hero. He died as a hero and from what we’ve heard today, he lived as a hero,” said the Rev. Dr. Ralph Huling at Brown’s funeral.
ARMY STAFF SGT. JERRY C. BURGE‘s aunt, Bobbie Kennedy, described him as a tough soldier and leader, but a gentle father of three who loved to laugh and spend time with his family.
“He was just an all-around good guy,” Kennedy said. “He had a lot of friends and he came from a big family. I’m just thankful to have been a part of his life. We loved him very much.”
Burge, 39, of Carriere, Miss., was killed by a roadside bomb April 4 in Taji. He was assigned to Fort Hood and was on his second tour.
Burge joined the military in 1985 and began serving full-time active duty in 1995. He had spent eight of his 11 years overseas.
Burge was a demolitions expert and engineer and had received a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in an explosion when he was in Kosovo. A second Purple Heart followed during his first Iraq tour.
Burge’s mother, Catherine Burge, said Burge’s father had been a career Navy Seabee and her son liked growing up in a military family.
“He liked the discipline and the family unit and a steady paycheck,” she said.
He also is survived by his children Tristan, 10, and Trinity, 7.
ARMY SGT. WILLIAM. W. BUSHNELL was a daredevil at a young age.
“One time I went walking up the mountain, and Billy came up in his little white truck and asked me if I wanted to ride. We went FLYING up the mountain,” said his aunt, Dorina Fonteno. “I was laughing, but I was scared to death!”
Bushnell, 24, of Jasper, Ark., was killed April 21 in Baghdad when his vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was assigned to Fort Bliss.
“Billy was one of the most real, genuine, authentic people I’ve ever known. He was honest, trustworthy, and never judgmental; I could talk to him about anything,” said a friend, Chris Clanton.
He was a 2001 high school graduate, went to Arkansas Tech for a semester and served in Afghanistan before he was deployed to Iraq.
He loved the Rolling Stones.
“He was just him,” said his youngest sister Stephanie. “What you saw was what you got with Billy. He was him, more than anyone I’ve ever met. In front of Mama, in front of Daddy, he was always himself.”
He also is survived by his parents, Wesley and Peggy, and fiancee, Breanna.
“Billy was everybody’s jewel,” Stephanie said.
Rodney Saribay first met ARMY PFC. JAY S. CAJIMAT in the third grade and they were friends ever since.
“Within our group, he was the unspoken leader, although he’d never admit it,” said Saribay. “If you had a problem, you’d go and see Jay.”
Cajimat, 20, of Lahaina, Hawaii, was killed by a roadside bomb April 6 in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Riley.
Cajimat was born in the Philippines and his family moved to Maui when he was 3 years old.
Anne Goff, his old English teacher, recalled Cajimat as being “very sweet, hardworking, very respectful.”
His family described him as a shy person who loved the outdoors and surrounded himself with friends. His favorite foods: Maui onion chips, li hing mui and macadamia nuts.
“He wasn’t much of a talker when he didn’t know you,” said his sister, Kaya, “but when it comes to his friends, he was so loud. He couldn’t stop talking.”
He also is survived by his parents, Lilibeth and Dionie.
Classmate Sheryl Taccuban said Cajimat liked to laugh and joke around. “I’ll miss laughing with him and stuff, having a good time with him,” she said.
The entire student body of ARMY CPL. JOSEPH H. CANTRELL IV‘s old high school lined both sides of the street outside the church when Cantrell’s casket was placed in a hearse and taken away.
“You see, Joey was loved and respected by everyone he ever came across,” said Bill Musick, who was Cantrell’s football coach in high school. “He had that charisma.”
Cantrell, 23, of Ashland, Ky., was killed April 4 by a roadside bomb in Taji. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
Musick called Cantrell “an outstanding student” and “natural leader” whose presence lifted other students to higher levels of achievement and conduct. Cantrell played running back and defensive back on the football team.
“The last time he was home he came by and said, ‘Coach, don’t worry about me,”‘ Musick said. “He loved the military. He lived it and breathed it.”
Cantrell had discussed enrolling at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.
“He had aspirations of studying to be a doctor,” said school board member Jeff Preston.
He is survived by his mother, Sondra Mullins Adkins, and his father, Joseph Herman Cantrell III.
When ARMY SGT. FORREST D. CAUTHORN graduated from high school, his father gave him a motorcycle. He hoped his son would ride all summer, crisscrossing the country while he decided what to do with his life.
But what Cauthorn’s father didn’t know was that his son had already made his decision: He had joined the Army.
“My best friend,” his father, Forrest W. Cauthorn, called him. “The best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Cauthorn, 22, of Midlothian, Va., was killed April 5 by small-arms fire and grenades in Hawijah. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Schofield Barracks. He also had done a tour of Afghanistan.
His father said he intended to have his son’s body cremated.
Then, he said, he plans to make the cross-country ride his son never made “and take him with me.”
He was a member of ROTC throughout high school, said Sgt. Maj. William J. Wilderman, an instructor. “He was a good, hardworking kid,” Wilderman said. “He was one of our cadet leaders.”
While serving in Afghanistan, Cauthorn said he was cheered by letters sent by schools. To a student who asked about his favorite animal, he wrote: “I like penguins.”
MARINE CPL. WILLIE P. CELESTINE JR. played free safety on his high school football team, though he seemed undersized at about 5 feet, 4 inches tall.
“He had some heart, and he would take on the big men,” said Rickey Hardy, an uncle. Said his mother, Trudy Celestine: “When you played against him, if you threw the ball his way, it was intercepted.”
Celestine, 21, of Lafayette, La., was killed April 26 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune. He was on his second tour.
“Whatever he gave in life,” his mother said, “he gave 100 percent. He started playing baseball at 5 years old, and people said he was one of the best they’d ever seen. He plays the game like he knows it. He plays to win.”
He also is survived by his wife, April, and 2-year-old daughter, Nevaeh.
“He left college to join the Marines to take care of his family,” his mom said. “He was always trying to protect people.” “Willie was special. He was the kind of child that makes you laugh, and he didn’t stop until you loved him,” she added.
At 6-foot-6, with a size 14 1/2 shoes, ARMY PFC. JAMES J. COON was a punter on his high school and college football teams. His real love, though, was popping wheelies on his motorcycle.
“He was a good athlete as tall as he was,” said his father, Jim. “He could ride his motorcycle doing a wheelie from one county to the next, even using one hand. He was a happy-go-lucky and free-spirited kid without a care in the world. He made friends very easily. It was uncanny how easily he could do that.”
Coon, 22, of Walnut Creek, Calif., was killed by a sniper April 4 in Balad. He was assigned to Fort Hood. He graduated high school in 2003 and attended Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill before enlisting.
Coon’s father described his son as an outgoing youth who loved hip-hop and dancing. He was on the football team that won the 2002 North Coast Section championship.
Coon, who liked to skydive, snowboard, and climb mountains,also won a national steel-tip dart championship in 2001 and traveled to England as a 16-year-old to represent the U.S. He finished fifth.
He also is survived by his mother, Deena Hayes-Coon, and stepmother, Marie Coon.
ARMY SPC. RYAN S. DALLAM was proud to be in the service of his country, but most of all “he liked to talk about the guys in his unit. He loved to brag about the guys he worked with, those in his platoon.” “He considered them heroes; great guys, a real band of brothers,” said his father, Scott Dallam.
Dallam, 24, of Norman, Okla., was killed April 6 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.
The soldier was known for accepting dangerous assignments without hesitation.
“Ryan was a quiet hero,” said First Christian Church Senior Minister David Spain.
He was known for his eclectic taste in music and loved the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Smashing Pumpkins.
He attended Oklahoma City Community College before joining the military during the early spring of 2005.
Dallam was scheduled to come home on leave the week following his death.
“We hadn’t made a whole lot of plans,” Scott Dallam said. “The first thing he said he wanted to do was get some sleep.”
He also is survived by his mother, Laura Dallam, and stepmother, Leslie Dallam.
Peter Gustafson, who taught MARINE CPL. CHRISTOPHER DEGIOVINE in sixth grade and kept up a friendship for more than two decades, admired the young man.
“He got along with everybody. He was one of those eighth-graders who danced with the sixth-graders at the dance. I keep picturing him as a 3-year-old playing on the hill with my son,” said Gustafson.
Degiovine, 25, of Lone Tree, Colo., was killed April 26 in combat in Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
“He had a great sense of humor; never, ever lost his temper with anybody,” said his father, Ray Degiovine. “He also was a top marksman in boot camp.”
He majored in criminal justice at Champlain College, where he graduated in 2005. He aspired to a career in law enforcement, and did bicycle patrols for the Essex Police Department for two summers while in college.
“He was extremely mature for his age,” said Joe Gonillo, who coached DeGiovine on an unbeaten junior varsity soccer team. “He had a plan, knew what he wanted.”
He also is survived by his wife, Rachel.
Kevin Kaisershot, MARINE LANCE CPL. JESSE D. DE LA TORRE‘s former band director, said the young man was a leader in his class who “lit up underneath the saxophone” and excelled at playing improvisational jazz solos with skills reminiscent of much older musicians.
“Those kinds of kids come along every once in a while,” Kaisershot said. “It’s hard to find them each and every year.”
De La Torre, 29, of Aurora, Ill., was killed April 16 during combat operations in Anbar province. He was a 1998 high school graduate and was assigned to Twentynine Palms.
“He was the nicest kid,” said Mike Russell, who was in the band with De La Torre. “He always had a smile on his face. He would always do anything for anybody.”
While in high school, De La Torre was a member of the East Aurora Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, and also participated in choir and drama at the school.
He was also a “very spiritual kid” who often carried a Bible to class and would stop arguments between other students, Kaisershot said.
He is survived by his father, Aureliano, and his mother, Raquel.
ARMY SGT. MARIO K. DE LEON‘s wife, Erika, described her husband as a warm, playful person who always had some tunes on.
“He brought light into everybody’s life. He was goofy. He was a clown. He always made everybody smile. He would pinch cheeks, give them a high five, always putting nicknames on people,” she said.
De Leon, 26, of San Francisco, was killed April 16 in Baghdad by small-arms fire. He graduated from high school in 1998 in Indiana and was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.
De Leon enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school and served for four years, including a tour in Afghanistan.
De Leon was honorably discharged in 2002 and returned home to go to Santa Rosa Junior College, where he met his wife, Erika.
Facing a difficult civilian job market, he re-enlisted and was picked to carry the heavy machine gun because of his rugged 6-foot-2, 240-pound frame.
De Leon grew up playing Little League and had a passion for “Star Wars” movies and “ThunderCats” cartoons. He wanted to become a Sonoma County firefighter.
He also is survived by his 2-year-old son, Keoni.
Floyd Rollins, who supervised ARMY SPC. EBE F. EMOLO, a security officer at a hospital, remembers the time Emolo tried to run down a man who had assaulted a patient.
Emolo couldn’t catch him, but he was so intent on doing so that he threw his radio at the assailant.
“Ebe, you just ruined a $400 radio,” Rollins said he told Emolo.
“You told me to stop him, didn’t you?” Emolo replied. “I did my best.”
Emolo, 33, of Greensboro, N.C., was killed April 7 by a roadside bomb in Zaganiyah. He was assigned to Fort Bragg.
“He was just a real class-act guy,” said Craig Shaw, a fellow security officer, who said Emolo encouraged him to keep at his studies. “He would go out of his way to help people, whether staff, patients or visitors.”
Born in the Ivory Coast, Emolo spent much of his life in France.
He came to the United States in 1999 and joined the Army in 2005.
He was awarded the Purple Heart after being injured during an earlier tour.
“He was proud to be a soldier,” said his wife, Charlotte Brown-Emolo. “He would always tell me when it comes to important things, there is no fork in the road. You just go straight.”
ARMY PFC. GABRIEL J. FIGUEROA and his brother, Xavier, enrolled together in junior lifeguard training as children.
Gabriel didn’t last too long: He was failed on the second or third day of the course for pushing his brother into the pool.
Gabriel Figueroa, 20, of Baldwin Park, Calif., was killed April 3 by small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood.
He loved to fish and read Stephen King novels, and became an Army medic. “He loved the experience,” said his mother, Elsa.
“He loved when the soldiers would walk up to him and say, ‘Hey Doc.”‘
His youngest sister, Tanya, 13, recalled that the family had sent him SpongeBob SquarePants bed sheets, which his Army buddies made fun of.
He volunteered with Baldwin Park’s police force from 2001 to 2003. He was described by police Lt. David Reynoso as an eager learner and “very capable.” “He was very respectful to adults,” Reynoso said. “He came from a good family.”
His father, Javier Figueroa, recalled picking up his son on his last visit home. “It was quite a different feeling,” he said. “He was tall and handsome.”
ARMY SPC. WILFRED FLORES JR. listed his favorite television shows as “M*A*S*H,” “CSI,” “Adult Swim” and “The Simpsons.”
“He was just a happy-go-lucky kid. He loved everybody. He wanted to help anybody and everybody,” said his mother, Vicky Flores. “He was doing what he wanted to do.”
Flores, 20, of Lawton, Okla., was killed March 31 in roadside bombings southwest of Baghdad. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Drum.
Vicky Flores said her son was very religious, very generous and believed “God had a hand in everything.
“He loved his job,” she said. “He was there because he wanted to be there. He died doing what he loved the most.”
Military service is a tradition in the Flores family. Vicky Flores and her husband, Wilfred, were both in the military and settled in Lawton after they retired, she said.
As soldiers, they all did their duty, even when they didn’t always agree with the policy, she said.
“He had no regrets,” she said. “He told me once ‘Mom, I’m not especially a big fan of being in Iraq, but I love my job.”‘
ARMY PFC. WALTER FREEMAN JR. had been looking forward to visiting his surrogate mom during leave later this month. They were counting the days.
“I’ll bring the popcorn, you get the butter ready,” Freeman joked.
Freeman, 20, of Lancaster, Calif., was killed April 4 in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Carson.
“I can’t even imagine not talking to him anymore, not seeing him,” said Loretta Horns, who calls herself Freeman’s surrogate mom. “He’s just such a part of my life.”
Freeman graduated high school in 2004, where he played the snare drum in the school band and was co-captain his senior year.
“He was happy and lively. He always had a smile on his face and laughed a lot. If anything ever got him down, he didn’t let it keep him down for long,” said band director Joseph Pincetich.
He met Horns through her two sons who went to the same school.
Freeman had a rocky relationship with his biological mother, so Horns became his mom “in heart and love,” she said.
“He was a really cool kid. He was kind of quiet, very polite, very well-spoken. Just a really great kid,” said Carol Selmser, a neighbor.
Damian Garcia, who coached ARMY PFC. DANIEL A. FUENTES on his high school wrestling team, said the young soldier was “a really great young man to coach.”
“He was self-motivated,” Garcia added. “He really looked for the best in the team, rather than the best in himself first. He would do anything for his teammates. He was also supportive of anyone around him.”
Fuentes, 19, of Levittown, N.Y., was killed by a roadside bomb April 6 in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Riley.
In an e-mail to his mother on March 3, Fuentes said he got his strength and determination from her.
“Many say we are heroes,” he wrote. “I say the mothers are.”
“He didn’t think of himself, he thought of others,” said his mother, Nancy. “We raised a wonderful, loving and special son.”
Fuentes also is survived by his father, Armando, and fiancee, Emma McGarry, who is pregnant. He also had a daughter from a previous relationship, Tatiana, 5.
“Before he went to Iraq he broke down on the phone,” McGarry said. “He told me, ‘I’m going, but at least you have something if anything happens to me,”‘ referring to the baby, which is due in September.
Before ARMY SGT. ALEXANDER J. FUNCHEON was deployed to Iraq, he went to see his old third-grade teacher.
He posed for pictures in October with Linn Bertog, who now teaches fifth grade, and her elementary school students, who had “adopted” him before the school year.
Funcheon was a hero to her students and the class’ relationship with him helped connect them to world events. E-mailing Funcheon was a prized perk, given to those who helped out or performed well in class.
Now they must deal with his death.
“My heart just bleeds for the family,” said Bertog.
Funcheon, 21, of Bel Aire, Kan., was killed April 29 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He got his GED in 2004 and was assigned to Fort Carson.
“He never got down, and he knew that he was doing a good job,” said his mother, Karen. “He knew what was expected of him, and he was going to do it.”
In Funcheon’s last e-mail to his parents, he wrote that he was preparing for an upcoming R&R to Germany. “He ended with, ‘I’ll be home before you know it,”‘ said his mother.
He also is survived by his father, Bob.
ARMY 1ST LT. KEVIN J. GASPERS helped start a wrestling program at his high school.
“The great thing about him was he had no wrestling experience, but he was the hardest-working kid out there and a great team leader,” said Ryan Brand, his high school math teacher and wrestling coach.
Gaspers, 26, of Hastings, Neb., was killed April 23 in a suicide car bombing in As Sadah. The former high school linebacker was assigned to Fort Bragg.
Gaspers graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005 with an accounting degree. He was awarded an ROTC three-year scholarship for his final years and was cadet battalion commander in spring 2005.
He was “a great, great guy,” said Karl Ingram, who was a freshman when he met Gaspers. “If someone ever needed help, he’d drop everything to help.”
Betty Hunt, who taught Gaspers in high school business and accounting classes, said he took time to visit her at the hospital when she was recovering from back surgery four years ago.
“That was something special,” she said.
He is survived by his parents, John and Pam Gaspers.
“All gave some, but Kevin gave all,” Ingram said.
People who knew ARMY PFC. AARON M. GENEVIE were always impressed by how respectful he was.
Just ask Aurora Selbe and her husband, a staff sergeant who was Genevie’s boss. The Selbes would sometimes have Genevie and other single soldiers over for dinner at their home and she remembers him continuing to call her “Mrs. Selbe” even after she assured him it was OK to call her by her first name.
“I liked him immediately,” she said.
Danny Pollock, his former basketball coach, agreed: “He was one of those guys who always called me coach, not by my first name,” Pollock said.
Genevie, 22, of Chambersburg, Pa., was killed April 16 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Riley.
“We went above and beyond any student as far as athletic capability,” said Kevin Sprong, his former athletic director. “He was fast, he was agile and he was a step above the average.”
“He always wanted to be a soldier, ever since he was a little boy,” said his mother, Patricia Genevie. “He was fulfilling his dream.”
He also is survived by his father, Girard.
Once, ARMY PFC. DEREK A. GIBSON and neighbor, best friends since the second grade, played hooky the day after their parents met with a principal about their sons skipping school.
Gibson’s father, Jerry, demanded to know what his son was thinking.
“It seemed,” he replied, “like a good morning to go fishing.”
“He made you laugh so it was hard to stay mad at him,” recalled Jerry Gibson.
Gibson, 20, of Eustis, Fla., was killed April 4 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He got his GED in 2004 and was assigned to Fort Carson.
Gibson dropped out of high school at 16 to work for his father’s home remodeling company, Gibson Construction. “He was a good framing carpenter,” said his father. “He was mechanically minded. He could run equipment and do anything like that.”
Gibson had named the family dog “Pig” and loved that the University of Florida won the NCAA men’s basketball championship.
His brother, Dustin, bragged about his brother’s fishing prowess, showing off a photo of him holding an 8-pound bass.
Last March, he decided to join the Army, partly because his then-girlfriend joined the military.
He also is survived by his mother, Janet.
ARMY CAPT. JONATHAN D. GRASSBAUGH‘s father, Mark Grassbaugh, described his son as having a laser focus that helped him accomplish many things.
“Once he knew what he wanted to do, he was extremely focused,” the elder Grassbaugh recalled. “And when he was focused there was no stopping him.”
Grassbaugh, 25, of East Hampstead, N.H., was killed April 7 by a roadside bomb in Zaganiyah. He was a 2003 graduate of Johns Hopkins and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
“Professionally, he was the smartest and most competent guy that I’ve had a chance to work with in 15 years in the Army,” Maj. Townley Hedrick said. “On a personal level, out of all the other captains on the staff, he was kind of the center of gravity.”
Grassbaugh was enthusiastic about everything he did, from working at his high school radio station, WPEA, to re-enacting Civil War battles. His brother Jason remembered a night Jonathan invited the family to an observatory to see a full moon and the rings around Jupiter.
“It was typical of Jon to notice the beautiful things around him and then share them,” his brother said.
He also is survived by his wife, Jenna.
At 6-foot-7, NAVY PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS CURTIS R. HALL “was like a ray of sunshine,” said his sister, Brenda Thibeault. “He loved to tease and play, but knew where the line was. He always knew how just to have fun.”
Hall, 24, of Burley, Idaho, was killed April 6 in combat near Kirkuk. A 2000 high school graduate, he was assigned to Whidbey Island and was on his second tour.
As a lanky 14-year-old Boy Scout, he was credited with saving his father’s life in a rafting accident and was awarded the Boy Scout’s Honor Medal, along with his brother.
Hall enjoyed shooting guns, riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, driving Jeeps and his new snowmobile.
He also had a more artistic side, learning to play guitar, piano and trombone. He also was family oriented, always taking time to visit his siblings.
Hall called home the evening before he died. “Hi, Mom. Happy birthday,” he had said before telling his mom, Pam, how much he loved her.
“He was such an amazing person,” said Thibeault. “It’s not fair to take somebody like that, but there’s a reason for everything, and someday we’ll know that reason.”
He also is survived by his father, Clarence.
Stacy Harper said she talked to her husband, ARMY STAFF SGT. MARLON B. HARPER, on the phone about four days before he died.
“He was in good spirits,” she said. “We always talked about Iraq as little as possible. He just wanted to know how the kids were doing. He didn’t like to focus on Iraq because he didn’t like to worry me.”
Harper, 34, of Baltimore, was killed April 21 in Baghdad by a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire. He was assigned to Fort Hood and was on his third tour.
“He was a soldier who loved his job,” said his wife. “He didn’t like to be away from his family, but he was a patriotic person. He definitely loved his soldiers.”
Besides his wife, Harper leaves behind three children – twin 10-year-old daughters, Jennifer and Jessica, and a 12-year-old son, Dominic.
At Blue Angels Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., where the Harpers’ daughters are in the fourth grade, students learned lessons in sacrifice.
“We’ve been talking about what a hero he was,” said Karen Montgomery, an assistant principal. “We’re talking to the students about how brave he was to defend our freedom so they can come to school every day.”
Amanda Holden said she met her husband, ARMY PFC. BRIAN L. HOLDEN, while they worked at PetSmart.
“He was the love of my life,” she said. “We were married for only 13 months, but were best friends for the last three years. I was very happy to have married my one true love.”
Holden, 20, of Claremont, N.C., was killed by a roadside bomb April 9 in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Carson.
Holden stood 5-foot-8, but he looked much bigger after basic training.
“He went from a little fella, and puffed up pretty good,” said his mother, Leasa DeLozier. “He was always the one smiling.”
He would talk to his wife online every day. The couple was saving for a house and looking forward to relaxing at Myrtle Beach, S.C., during a two-week leave.
Two days after her husband died, Amanda Holden received a birthday card in the mail from him.
“He wrote that he loved me and missed me,” she said. “And that he couldn’t wait to be together with me on the beach.”
He also is survived by his father, Bill Holden; stepfather, Gene Delozier; and stepmother Helen Holden.
While in high school, ARMY SPC. LEVI K. HOOVER would tell his wrestling coach that he dreamed of traveling to Alaska and having a career in law enforcement. When he finally made it to Alaska, he gave his old coach a call, he said.
“The kid loved to go fishing and had a passion for the outdoors,” said Adam San Miguel. “When he made his way to Alaska, he had reached one of his dreams.”
Hoover, 23, of Midland, Mich., was killed by a roadside bomb April 7 in Zaganiyah. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
“He was really friendly, good-natured and interested in a lot of different things,” said Emily Bolander, administrative assistant at the Meijer store where Hoover worked.
Hoover received a criminal justice degree from Delta College before heading to Alaska to work as a ranger’s assistant.
“He was one of those quiet leaders. He led by example,” said Doug Bradford, Hoover’s high school counselor.
Hoover is survived by his father and his father’s wife, Ken and Sandy Hoover; and his mother and her husband, Belinda and Jack Brewster.
“He was a good person,” said his mother.
ARMY SGT. MICHAEL R. HULLENDER‘s former football coach, John Green, remembers Hullender as a good football player who looked out for classmates.
“He was one of those young men that are extremely mature, even at an early age,” Green said. “Very dedicated to working hard and respectful. He also had a sense of responsibility that he was supposed to help the kids who were struggling. He always treated those guys with a lot of respect.”
Hullender, 29, a medic from Little Falls, N.J., was killed April 28 when he stepped on a bomb in Iskandariyah. He was assigned to Fort Richardson.
He and his fiancee, Kyle Harper, planned a June 2008 wedding.
They had just picked out the site on Lake Placid, N.Y.
“He was a typical Southern boy, polite and charming. He could walk into a room and walk out a half-hour later knowing everyone in the room,” Harper said.
After graduating from high school in 1996, Hullender attended West Georgia College majoring in business.
“It had always been in the back of his mind to serve his country,” said his father, Ren Hullender.
Hullender is also survived by his mother, Cindy Malmo.
ARMY SGT. ADAM P. KENNEDY‘s ambition to become a solider flourished as a Cub Scout. And when he finally became a soldier, Kennedy’s father said he was committed to military life.
“He had a tremendous sense of honor and he lived his life that way,” said David Kennedy. “He felt the Army was the place to serve. He was a patriot.”
Kennedy, 25, of Norfolk, Mass., died April 8 from indirect fire in Diwaniyah. He graduated from Norwich University in 2004 with a degree in computer science. Kennedy was assigned to Fort Richardson.
He oversaw security detail for the unit’s commander. Because of this responsibility, he was exposed to danger on several occasions, Kennedy’s father said.
Aside from his love for the Army, Kennedy was also interested in physical fitness. He enjoyed rock climbing, and was a prize-winning weight lifter. While in high school, he also joined the football, wrestling and track teams.
His younger brother recalled how as a child, Kennedy enjoyed squirt gun and paintball fights, and said that it was clear he wanted a military career.
“He went out and lived his childhood dream,” Colin Kennedy said.
Kennedy also is survived by his mother, Nancy Smyth.
Phil Smith fought alongside ARMY STAFF SGT. BRADLEY D. KING and was impressed by his can-do attitude.
“I often referred to him as ‘Bradley Fighting Vehicle,’ which describes him well – a tough armored military fighting machine that carries his troops into battle while providing fire support and armored protection,” Smith said.
King, 28, of Marion, Ind., was killed by a roadside bomb April 2 in Amiriyah. He was a 1998 high school graduate and was assigned to Marion.
A commercial truck driver before he worked full time for the Guard, King quickly became attached to operating a tow truck during training sessions.
“As the year went on, he just fell in love with that truck, and that was his baby,” Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Columbus said, laughing.
Sgt. Brian Miller said King was a detail-oriented mechanic. The two would often be tasked to tackle complex repair jobs together, like fixing the brake system on a 5-ton truck.
“There was no arguing with him because he knew where in the book to look to prove he was right,” Miller said.
He is survived by his wife, Adrian, and 15-month-old son, Daethan.
Trent Roling said that when he heard of ARMY SPC. JERRY R. KING‘s death, he realized he’d lost “the friend of a lifetime.”
“We were like brothers,” Roling said. “I grew up with him – playing baseball, hunting, fishing and just hanging out. A friend like that only comes around once in a lifetime. I just feel lucky I knew him.”
King, 19, of Browersville, Ga., was killed April 23 in a suicide car bombing in As Sadah. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
Evan Beasley, a classmate, said he remembers that King was a strong, protective person who went out of his way to help people.
“He was always singing that song, ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy,”‘ Beasley said. “That song embodies how he lived his life.”
“He always told you the truth. It didn’t matter if it was going to get him in trouble,” said baseball coach Derrick Davis. “He’d say, ‘I did it.’ Even if 10 other kids had done it and wouldn’t say so.”
He is survived by his father, Jerry King, and mother, Carmen Jordan.
“He was an extraordinary young man,” said Beasley’s father, John Beasley, a social studies teacher.
It was hard for ARMY PFC. DAVID A. KIRKPATRICK to part with guns, even toy ones.
His sister, Carrie Kirkpatrick, said her family found an old Easter photo with his four sisters and David dressed nicely. Then they noticed he had stuck a squirt gun in the waist of his pants.
“It was totally natural for him,” she said.
Kirkpatrick, 20, of Upland, Ind., was killed by a roadside bomb April 27 in Fallujah. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart.
He wasn’t much into school, Carrie Kirkpatrick said, instead preferring to spend his time in the woods.
“He was the kind of kid who would go out into the woods for hours,” she said. One time, he even dug a hole that he and some friends spent the night in.
He liked tinkering with the family’s cars and even took automotive classes at Tucker Career and Technology Center. His main military job was as a mechanic.
Larry Williams, one of David’s automotive teachers at Tucker, said he was a good student and good at what he did.
“He was just a super nice kid,” Williams said.
He also is survived by his parents, Kenny and Rhonda.
ARMY PFC. GARRETT C. KNOLL ran a grueling cross country and track schedule for four years in high school. During summers, he would wake up as early as 4 a.m. for his job at a golf club.
“He was a guy who was always full of energy,” said Lee Kahler, his biology teacher and running coach. “He was very enthusiastic. He was a really neat kid.”
Knoll, 23, a medic from Bad Axe, Mich., was killed April 23 in a suicide car bombing in As Sadah. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg.
His former teacher, Kathy Cregeur, remembers Knoll as “fun loving.”
“He was always trying to play a joke,” she said. “He was well liked. He got along with other students really well. He was smiling and happy.”
Knoll and his friends on the cross country team always liked to play euchre on the bus while traveling to meets. One day he got on the bus with a battery-operated shuffling machine.
“I saw it and was joking with him that the euchre deck is so small that he didn’t need an automatic shuffler,” Kahler said. “He said, ‘Sure we do.’ That was Garrett.”
He is survived by his grandparents, Robert and Ruth Knoll.
One man who was impressed by ARMY PFC. RICHARD P. LANGENBRUNNER‘s ability to turn into a strong soldier was someone who watched it firsthand: Drill Sgt. Joseph Bryan.
“I remember him as quiet and shy but had a strong heart and was always there to lend a hand to any of his battle buddies,” Bryan said.
Langenbrunner, 19, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died April 17 in Rustamiyah of injuries from a non-combat related incident. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Benning.
Kris Kallmeyer, who had Langenbrunner in German class for two years, said he was shocked to hear the news but remembered bumping into him his senior year in the hallway.
“He was so happy,” Kallmeyer said. “I asked him what he was going to do. He said he was joining the Army. He seemed really excited. He wanted to drive a tanker.”
At home, he enjoyed being outdoors, especially turkey and bow hunting.
Staff Sgt. Michael Raimer was another who was impressed by Langenbrunner.
“He was one of those you could put on autopilot,” he said. “He knew his duty, he knew his job inside and out.”
He is survived by parents Rick and Mary.
Rob Donaldson, a member of the Alabama Army National Guard and a former neighbor of ARMY SPC. JAMES T. LINDSEY, said the young soldier was “just an exceptional young man.”
“When I was in Iraq, he and his brother came over and cut my grass and wouldn’t let us pay them a thing. That was just the kind of person he was.”
Lindsey, 20, of Florence, Ala., was killed April 12 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Richardson.
As a senior, Lindsey played on the infield for his baseball team and talked often about joining the military. “It was something he wanted to do, and he was wanting to make it a career,” Donaldson said.
In one letter to a friend, Lindsey used quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt, saying, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.”
He is survived by his wife, Michelle.
“Jamie Lindsey had a real desire to conquer, to go forward and win,” said the Rev. Donnie McDaniel, who baptized Lindsey. “This young man can say, ‘I fought a good fight.”‘
When ARMY STAFF SGT. KENNETH E. LOCKER JR. was home in January on leave, he wanted to be sure his father understood why he was serving.
“He said, ‘Dad, do you know why I’m over there?”‘ Ken Locker Sr. said. ‘”I’m over there for the children, that they might have a safer world to live in.”‘
Locker, 28, of Wakefield, Neb., was killed April 23 in a suicide car bombing in As Sadah. He was assigned to Fort Bragg.
Locker was injured in Iraq last fall by a land mine, his father said, and was awarded a Purple Heart. The soldier had two or three pieces of shrapnel in his neck, and his hearing was damaged in the attack.
Locker, an outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing and his family, graduated from high school in 1997, enlisting in the Army while he was still in high school, his father said.
“I was rather happy, because his grades were low until he enlisted in the Army, and then his grades shot up,” Ken Locker Sr. said.
He spent three years in the service, then did two more with the National Guard before re-enlisting in the Army.
He also is survived by two sons, Austin and Dustin.
After the 2001 terror attacks, MARINE LANCE CPL. ADAM E. LOGGINS began to consider a career in the military. With his firefighter father as a role model, it was not surprising that he, too, would choose a career in which he risked his life to protect others.
“He’s always been a leader; he always wanted to make sure everything was done right,” said his dad, Danny. “Sept. 11 affected him so bad, he felt he needed to do something. He felt joining the Marine Corps was the best way to get his point across so our way of life here would be protected.”
Loggins, 27, of Athens, Ala., was killed April 26 in Anbar province. He was a 1997 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
“I’m so proud of him,” said his mother, Becky. “I couldn’t ask for a better son, a better person. He had the biggest heart.”
“Adam had fun,” said Dennis Black, his former principal. “He was strong-willed. He liked being on the go.”
Loggins deployed to Iraq on Jan. 18, telling his fiancee Brandy Heath, he wanted to marry her when he returned this August.
“He just always said he thought it was unfair to do it before he went,” she said.
MARINE 1ST LT. TRAVIS L. MANION wouldn’t put anyone in a situation he would not be in himself first.
“You would never know if he was worried or if he was scared. He was concrete, so strong – maybe to put us at ease. That was his way of protecting us,” said David Borek, a close friend.
Manion, 26, of Doylestown, Pa., was killed April 29 in combat in Anbar province. He was on his second tour and was assigned to Camp Pendleton. He was a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
“He was a kid with a big heart, never had a bad word for anyone. He was all heart; that is who he was,” said his father, Tom. “We’ve had calls from all over the country, from people who said they loved him like a brother.”
He had a way of livening up a room, especially at family gatherings, where he would sing Johnny Cash tunes and, at times, pick up a guitar and belt out a song he made up.
“He was definitely not shy,” said his sister, Ryan Borek. “He could make everyone laugh and smile. He just loved to be around family. That is when he was most at home – with this family.”
He also is survived by his mother, Jannette.
Mike Kelly, who taught English and mentored MARINE PFC. MIGUEL A. MARCIAL III, said the young man was something special.
“In my class, Mike invented a game called ‘vocabulary basketball,”‘ Kelly said. “He was only about 5-4, but he was an amazing basketball player. So he brings in this little made up bucket and ball. If you get the vocabulary word right and you make the basket, you get an extra point on my quiz.”
Marcial, 19, of Secaucus, N.J., was killed April 1 in a non-combat related incident in Anbar province. He was assigned to Camp Lejeune.
In his senior year, he transferred to the New Jersey National Guard Challenge Youth Program at Fort Dix. The yearlong program is an alternative way to receive a high school diploma. He graduated from the program in August 2005.
“I went to his house once and his mother showed me his closet.” Kelly said. “He had 50 hats lined up in his closet like trophies. I asked him ‘What’s up with the 50 hats?’ He said ‘I got one for every girlfriend.’ He was playful and loved to kid around.”
He is survived by his mother, Diane Cabrera, and father, Miguel Marcial Jr.
Jeffrey Nietz, a guidance counselor, remembered ARMY SPC. JEREMY E. MARESH as a big man who “bopped around the halls” and was extremely proud of his weightlifting accomplishments.
“He wanted to be a military policeman,” Nietz said.
Maresh, 24, of Jim Thorpe, Pa., died April 24 in Baghdad of an apparent suicide. He was a 2001 high school graduate and was assigned to Spring City.
In high school, he was part of the weightlifting club, a member of the wrestling team and a football player. He was the father of a 16-month-old son, Shane.
Nietz said Maresh was respected both as a student and a member of the community. “He was a treasured student here,” he said. “Every teacher here knew Jeremy.”
The Rev. John Hassler, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Penn Forest, knew him about 10 years. “He was one of the most respectful young men I met,” Hassler said.
“After he finished his basic training, he wore that uniform very proudly. I remember him wearing that uniform to church,” Hassler said.
He also is survived by his grandparents, William and Helen Fisher, who raised him.
