Benjamin Gullett said that when his brother, Army Pfc. Zachary R. Gullett, entered the military, his family feared kindhearted Zachary would be changed, either by the military, or by the experience of war.
They needn’t have worried.
“Though he was grown up, and he came back a man, he was still Zachary,” Benjamin Gullett said. “He was changed, but not different.”
Gullett, 20, of Hillsboro, Ohio, collapsed while exercising May 1, 2007, in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Carson.
“He was a great, goofy kid,” Benjamin Gullett said of his young brother, who was involved in football, choir, drama and the band in school. “And I can’t think of a better way to describe him.”
He graduated from high school in 2004, enrolled at Southern State Community College in Ohio, and attended the Ohio Police Academy at Ohio University. He volunteered with the Highland County Sheriff’s Department and the neighboring community of New Vienna, Ohio.
Gullett, known for his love of Kentucky Fried Chicken, graduated from the police academy when he was 19, but he had to wait until he was 21 to become a police officer.
He also is survived by his parents, Mike and Connie.
Andrea McDonald said it was hard to believe that her son, Army Pfc. Larry I. Guyton, was gone because they had spent time together about two months earlier when he came home on leave.
“He walked in the door and it was like this huge bear hug that he gave me, and he was just kissing on me,” she said. “My face was plumb wet where he was kissing on me. I’d give anything for my face to be wet like that again.”
Guyton, 22, of Brenham, Texas, died May 5, 2007, from wounds suffered when a bomb exploded near his vehicle a day earlier in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.
Guyton enjoyed camping, fishing and hunting.
“Larry loved being in cowboy boots and spurs,” said Debbie Rogers, his sister.
Guyton was a member of the JROTC and the Buffalo Soldiers, an organization dedicated to teaching about the black cavalries that served during the Civil War.
Guyton felt strongly about joining the military because he wanted to change negative stereotypes about young black men.
“He just wanted to do something positive with his life,” she said.
He also is survived by two sons, Kenyon and Jaidyn.
Helping others was a way of life for Army Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Hamlin, even as a student athlete who was on the basketball, cross country and track teams.
“He’d be hanging around, waiting for basketball practice to start and he’d help the janitor clean the school,” said JROTC commander retired Navy Cmdr. Kenneth Vanourney.
Hamlin, 24, of London, Ky., was killed May 4, 2007, by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 1988 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.
In 1991, he drove his tank in the front lines of Desert Storm.
He went on to serve tours in Bosnia, Haiti and Somalia. In 2004, he served in Iraq and was deployed there again in 2006.
“He said that he wanted to travel the world and not watch it on television,” said his mother, Autumn Hamlin. “He wanted to be right there.”
He wrote poetry, loved to eat crab legs and urged his family in a letter to “Make every day count!”
“Appreciate every moment and take from it everything you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again,” Hamlin wrote.
He is survived by his wife, Donna.
Born and raised on the East Coast, Army Pfc. Jonathan V. Hamm always wanted to travel.
“After he got to be 15-16, he liked to get on the bus and the train and just learn his way around the city,” according to an aunt, Eleanor Swan. “He’d make a whole day sightseeing like that. He always wanted to travel more.”
Hamm, 20, of Baltimore, was killed May 17, 2007, in Baghdad by indirect fire. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Most friends knew him as “Hammie” or “Hamm” — few in his circle called him Jonathan.
“He was a loner, but if he was your friend, you could trust him,” classmate Devon Hodge said.
Another aunt, Leah Hamm, stepped in to give him some advice when he struggled in school.
“After my brother passed in 2000, there was a spiral of not going to class and hanging with the wrong people,” she said.”His mother asked if I would talk to him, so I told him what would happen to him: destruction, death or incarceration.”
“He took it upon himself to change his life,” she said. “He seemed happy.”
His mother, Frances S. McCullough, died in February 2007 from breast cancer.
As a child, Army Sgt. Jason R. Harkins would carry a play gun around, as well as a sword stuck down the back of his shirt.
“He just ran around like that all the time,” said his aunt, Gail Nix.
Harkins, 25, of Clarkesville, Ga., was killed May 6, 2007, by a roadside bomb in Baqubah. He was a 1999 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Nix said when he wasn’t soldiering, Harkins could often be found scouting area waterways for trophy fish. She also noted with a laugh that the tall, big-shouldered infantryman adored his pet cat, Simba.
Just weeks before he died, Harkins saved a fellow soldier’s life in a firefight and afterward found a bullet lodged in his own helmet.
“Seeing the impact he made, I know that God is going use his death to do amazing things,” said his wife, Emily.
Jason and Emily had a whirlwind romance, with a wedding squeezed in before his deployment to Iraq. When the Army extended his mission, he told Emily how he wanted to spend the extra money.
“I want to take you on a honeymoon,” she says he told her. “Anywhere you want to go. So we were going to Hawaii in November.”
Army Pfc. Nicholas S. Hartge‘s idea of a great joke was climbing the balcony of his stepparents’ house late at night to bang on their bedroom window as if he was a burglar.
His stepfather, Dave Abbott, said he was the kind of kid who’d enter a demolition derby if he could.
“My gosh, how much energy that kid had,” Abbott said. “If there was an opportunity to be seized, he’d take it.”
Hartge, 20, of Rome City, Ind., died May 14, 2007, in Baghdad of wounds from an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.
He focused much of his attention on cars that had seen better days. He was a skilled mechanic and fixed them into working condition.
Scott Hartge said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks drove his son to become a soldier.
“He always wanted to do something special,” Hartge said. “He was adamant about being in the Army. There was nothing going to stop him.”
In high school, Hartge played trumpet in marching band, switching to the bass drum his junior year. He brought small gifts for some of the elementary students who had sent him packages.
He also is survived by his mother, Lori.
Golf coach Steve Randgaard said Army Pfc. Anthony D. Hebert was an excellent golfer, very coachable and took a keen interest in helping the younger players on the team.
“He had a really good work ethic,” Randgaard said. “When he was determined to do something, he would go to it. He was just a quality, classy kid. It’s a tough loss.”
Hebert, 19, of Lake City, Minn., was killed by a bomb blast June 21, 2007, in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.
While finishing his senior year, Hebert was excited about the benefits and opportunities he would encounter in the military. He was passionate about becoming a part of the Airborne unit in Iraq.
But, a teammate of Hebert’s remembers his guidance the most.
“I met him when I was in eighth grade,” Spencer Halder said. “He was easy to follow as a leader and was positive about everything.”
Halder played on the golf team that just took fourth place in the state high school golf tournament. Halder also placed ninth as an individual.
“Tony would have been proud of that,” Randgaard said.
He is survived by his parents, Robert and Laurie.
Army Spec. Adam G. Herold was remembered for his sacrifice and called a “peacemaker” in death.
“Oftentimes, when there is war, the soldiers sent to it are called peacemakers. It may seem like a contradiction, but making peace by subduing violence was indeed Adam’s calling,” said the Rev. Michael Gutgsell.
Herold, 23, of Omaha, was killed June 10, 2007, in Karbala by an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska.
He was fond of playing in camouflage as a boy, leading his friends to call him “Rambo.”
He earned a high school equivalency certificate and joined the Job Corps in Utah to learn a trade.
He thought the Army was the best way to pay for a college education, said his father, Lance Herold.
“If Adam decided to do something, he was just going to do it,” his father said. “He knew he would succeed.”
Dave Ogden, a friend of the family, said he’d known Adam since the young man was born. “Just a wonderful kid, cheerful and it’s just going to be impossible to fill this hole in everybody’s lives,” Ogden said.
He is also survived by his mother, Debbie Herold.
Army Pfc. Charles B. Hester was crying so hard in the delivery room when his daughter Elizabeth was born, he couldn’t see to cut the umbilical cord.
“She had her daddy wrapped around her little finger,” Lt. Col. Chris Cieply said. “He wanted to come home and have more babies and wanted them all to be girls.”
Hester, 23, of Cataldo, Idaho, died May 26, 2007, when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash., and also is survived by his wife, Roxanne Slate.
Cpl. Tim Tate said Hester had become proficient at driving the eight-wheeled, all-wheel drive combat vehicles. “Not everybody can get up into a huge vehicle like that and be good,” he said.
Hester was an avid guitar player and once made the pilgrimage to Jimi Hendrix’s grave, where he buried a guitar pick.
“Hester loved the oldies,” recalled his former squad leader, Staff Sgt. Chess Johnson. “I could never come up with a song that he couldn’t come up with the lyrics, perfectly.”
And when the boys in the back of the Stryker mangled a tune, “he was never shy about correcting us. His voice would come over the squawk box and tell us how to sing the song.”
Samantha Criswell said she was impressed by Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr.‘s thoughtfulness when she met him in early 2006. During their first date, she mentioned her undying love of Dr Pepper.
“Later on, he left the table and brought back a glass of Dr Pepper for me,” Criswell said. “He was a great listener.”
Hicks, 24, of College Station, Texas, was killed April 28, 2007, by a roadside bomb and small-arms fire in Salman Pak. He was assigned to Fort Benning, Ga., and was on his second tour.
In 2000, he graduated from high school and then attended Tarrant County College Southeast Campus and Blinn College in Bryan.
His dream was to finish his college education, return to the Army as an officer and eventually sail the Mediterranean with his sweetheart.
“He always wanted to do things that weren’t the norm,” said Criswell. “He never did anything because it was popular or he felt obligated to.”
Hicks was always the first one to help, said his mother, Susan Hicks.
“He would even help people who didn’t even ask for it,” she said.
He also is survived by his father, Glenn Dale Hicks Sr.
Army Sgt. Andrew J. Higgins‘ family remembers his witty sense of humor and his can-do spirit.
“He’s the reason why I finished chemistry in junior college,” said his wife Rachel, “because he told me, ‘Don’t ever quit, even when it’s hard.’ ”
Higgins, 28, of Hayward, Calif., was killed June 5, 2007, in Baqubah by small-arms fire. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash., and was on his second tour.
“He was a good man,” said his mother, Cheryl. “If he gave you his word, he kept it.”
He spent two years in the reserves, then he signed up for the regular Army, eventually becoming a paratrooper and joining the elite Ranger corps. He also did a tour in Afghanistan.
“He was one of these perfect kids,” said Arnie Becker, a longtime friend of the family who had known Higgins since birth.
“He did everything right except for getting into college, which was what his parents had hoped for.”
He was supposed to be the next in line to carry on the family name. The Higginses say their first descendant landed in New England in 1693.
“He was the only child of an only child of an only child,” said his father, Jerry Higgins.
Army Pfc. Cory F. Hiltz‘s father remembers Cory watching a nature show on television when he was a young boy. When a small animal was attacked by a larger one, he began to cry.
“He said ‘Dad, why is he hurting him? He didn’t do anything,”‘ said his father, Wayne. “We wondered what he would come back like and he came back with a bigger heart than before. He wasn’t jaded by the war.”
Hiltz, 20, of La Verne, Calif., was killed June 28, 2007, when a bomb exploded in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Carson and attended Citrus College before joining the Army in February 2006.
On May 30, 2007, his parents picked him up at the airport.
“Deep into the drive home there was a quiet period and I looked over and saw he was smiling,” his father said. “I said ‘What’s that for?’ And he said ‘I love living in U.S.’ ”
When he was about to return to Iraq, Cory and his father talked about the war.
“He was not happy about it, but he said ‘Dad, I made a commitment to my country. I don’t want to go back. But I made a commitment and I’m going to fulfill my obligation. Ten days later he was dead.”
Cory is also survived by his mother, Debra.
Friends of Army Spec. Josiah W. Hollopeter remembered him as a rebel with a willingness to mix it up — but not about friendships.
“Joe was a very loyal person,” said Chad Coleman. “When you make friends with him, you’d be a friend no matter what.”
Hollopeter, 27, of San Diego, was killed June 14, 2007, by small-arms fire in Muqdadiyah. He was raised in Valentine, Neb., graduated from high school in 1998 and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.
Before enlisting, he worked construction jobs in Omaha and San Diego. He also spent many summers working for a canoe outfitter along the Niobrara River.
“I’ve had friends besides Joe,” said Gabe Olson, “but I never met anybody like him. He was intense. Always did stuff to the extreme. Kind of like every day was his last day.”
He was rejected twice from the Army because of extensive tattoos. But with the help of a determined recruiter, Hollopeter was accepted.
“His goal through high school was to be the toughest kid in town,” Ken Hollopeter said of his son, “but he was still the softest-hearted kid you’d want to be around.”
He is survived by his wife, Heather.
Army Sgt. Bruce E. Horner ‘s family said he was known more for his musical talents than anything, appearing in a school play and singing in various school groups.
“He loved to sing. He loved to laugh, and he loved to get together to tell stories,” said Douglas Horner, his brother. “That’s the type of person he was.”
Horner, 43, of Newport News, Va., was killed June 1, 2007, in Baghdad by a sniper. He was a 1982 high school graduate and was assigned to Fliegerhorst, Germany.
Horner’s two favorite places were the church and the gym.
He and his wife, Erin, were fond of biking and running and attended church together.
“He had this almost glow about him,” said his mother-in-law, Sandra McDaniel. He “loved people, and he loved helping people.”
Once, he delivered Christmas presents to an immigrant couple and then launched into a chorus of “Feliz Navidad.” The couple had arrived from Korea and scarcely knew English, let alone Spanish.
But Horner’s intent was clear.
One Christmas, when Horner and his wife were low on cash, they gave friends certificates redeemable for baby-sitting hours.
Army Sgt. Joel A. House ‘s humor was on display when he was home in March 2007.
He wore a gray long-sleeved T-shirt that bore a cartoon drawing of a soldier in camouflage standing next to a Humvee. The yellow lettering read, “Who’s your Baghdaddy?”
House, 22, of Lee, Maine, was killed June 23, 2007, by a roadside bomb in Taji. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas. He was on his second tour.
House grew up hunting and fishing in the woods around his home.
He played soccer, baseball and basketball in high school and was known among his friends for his guitar playing.
After his military service, Joel hoped go to school to become a game warden, said Deanna House, his mother. He also is survived by his father, Paul House.
House suffered shrapnel wounds to his head and chest when a suicide attacker exploded a bomb at his barracks in March 2007 that left his best friend dead.
He was hospitalized for several days and then returned to duty.
“He was humble and modest,” Deanna House said. “He didn’t like to make a hoo-ha about anything he did. We had to pull it out of him,” she said.
The last time Gary Hubbell said goodbye to his son, Army Staff Sgt. Darren P. Hubbell, he warned him about the danger he was taking by going back to a war zone again.
“I told him, ‘Look, counting the first few, this will be your fourth deployment. The odds are going to run out. I play the odds, the odds are not in your favor.’ And he said, ‘Dad, it’s my job,’ ” the elder Hubbell said.
Hubbell, 38, of Tifton, Ga., was killed by a roadside bomb June 20, 2007, in Baghdad. He was a 1986 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Stewart, Ga.
A 14-year Army veteran and a senior line medic, he had also served tours in Panama and Afghanistan.
He loved to play computer games, was a history buff and enjoyed spending time outside at his fire pit.
Army Pvt. William C. Johnson always saw himself serving his country in some way, said his father.
“He always talked about going into the military,” Billy Johnson said. “To him, it just felt like something he needed to do.”
Johnson, 22, of Oxford, N.C., was killed June 12, 2007, in Baghdad by an explosive. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Riley, Kan.
“He was always smiling, always had a kind word to say, always helpful,” said Cynthia Currin, a family friend. “This is just a tragic loss.”
Billy Johnson said his son — referred to as Chris or Christopher, his middle name — was a kindhearted individual who went out of his way to help others. “He’d do anything for you — if he liked you,” Billy Johnson said.
He was an Antioch volunteer firefighter.
“Anyone that from the age of 15 decides to come down to the local fire department and join, and then after that continue service and fight for the country, I’d call them a hero every day,” said Antioch Fire Capt. Clifton Peace.
He also is survived by his wife, Megan, who was expecting their first child in the fall of 2007; and a daughter, Christina.
Army 1st Lt. Ryan P. Jones often urged his mother to send packages to his entire unit — not just to him.
“His mother has received thank you notes in the last few days from his men saying what a great platoon leader he was and how lucky they were to have him,” said Denise Mac Aloney, a family friend.
Jones, 23, of Westminster, Mass., was killed May 2, 2007, by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kan.
He graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2005 with a degree in civil engineering. He served in the ROTC and was a member of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity.
He was a movie buff who had rated about 1,500 movies on Netflix.
“His knowledge of movies was unbelievable,” said Adam Epstein, a friend.
“Ryan was a great person, really smart, who always had a smile,” said MacAloney. “The thing I remember about him is that he was always such a soft and kind person. When you talked to him he always looked you in the eye and you always felt like he was paying attention to you.”
He is survived by his parents, Kevin and Elaine.
When Army Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Kiernan got $300 for Christmas, he asked that every penny be spent on veterans living at a hospital in Texas.
“That’s just the kind of person he was,” said his mother-in-law, Joy East. “We need more people like him.”
Kiernan, 37, of Virginia Beach, Va., was killed May 6, 2007, by small-arms fire in Baghdad. He was a 1988 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.
“He was one of the most wonderful people I had ever known,” said East. “He was so big-hearted, loving and kind. He always put himself last.”
Karen Alesick, a friend, described Kiernan as “one of the most incredible people I know. Not only was he a good soldier, he took care of his men.”
Warren East, a brother-in- law, said that extended to family.
“I have Parkinson’s disease, and he used to help me out to no end,” he said. “He was always there. If something needed to be done, he got the job done.”
He is survived by his wife, Donna. He was planning a visit home in July 2007 so he could be with his wife on her birthday.
“They shared a very unique bond,” said Karen Alesick, a friend. “That was the love of her life.”
Teacher Jason Foster said Army Sgt. Tyler J. Kritz was shy but friendly.
“He was well-liked. When he did talk, he had a sense of humor,” Foster said. “I think his favorite subject was to be done with high school. He was motivated to be done.”
Kritz, 21, of Eagle River, Wis., was killed June 3, 2007, by an explosive in Thania. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
Foster said Kritz, who was on his second tour, looked forward to leaving Eagle River.
“He wanted to be away at something different. He tried this life and now he wanted to go see what else there was to see.”
Kritz wrote about a love for music and adventure on his MySpace page. “I’m always listening to music; I play bass guitar, or at least try to. I like to try new stuff because consistency is boring. I love to travel and explore even if it’s just walking around town,” he wrote.
He is survived by parents, Joe and Doreen Kritz.
“Tyler was a smart individual. He was quiet but he always had a smile on his face when you’d see him in the hallways,” said Pat Sullivan, his former principal. “He was just a quiet, friendly kid.”
When Ed Bendekgey, a Spanish teacher, needed to lighten the mood in the classroom, he could count on Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Kuglics.
Bendekgey would kick Kuglics a straight line and he knew he could count on an answer.
“Even in Spanish,” he said.
Kuglics, 25, of North Canton, Ohio, was killed by a roadside bomb June 5, 2007, in Kirkuk. He was a 2000 high school graduate and was assigned to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
He last called his family to say he had received their birthday gifts — a Spider-Man Xbox 360 video game, a bottle of dill pickles and a pepperoni sausage.
“He was a perfect son, and the perfect big brother,” said his mother, Donna.
Kuglics, on his second tour, played soccer in high school and continued to play in the Air Force. He had worked in satellite communications and served in Kuwait and South Korea before Iraq.
He also is survived by his father, Les.
His sister, Emily, said she will not forget her brother’s laugh.
“He could walk into a room and the whole room would be glowing and you just knew he was there,” she said. “Even now, I still hear him laughing.”
Army Pfc. Thomas R. Leemhuis‘s mother, Patty Leemhuis, said he was a fun-loving young man who enjoyed cracking jokes and playing video games.
“His No. 1 football team was the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and he loved to wear his Nebraska hat around the University of Oklahoma,” she said. “He loved to push it to the limit.”
Leemhuis, 23, of Binger, Okla., was killed June 21, 2007, by an explosive in Baghdad. He was assigned to Schweinfurt, Germany.
His mother said Leemhuis had dreams of becoming a cop. She said at first he had thought of becoming a teacher and basketball coach, but then turned his thoughts to becoming a police officer “because he hated drugs.”
The last contact she had with him was through an e-mail June 18, 2007, she said.
“He wrote that he loved me, and that he would be home soon. He also told me to stay strong,” she said.
Her son also is survived by his father, Paul Whitehorn.
“He will always be remembered and loved,” said Tom Worcester, a relative.
