Army Sgt. Timothy M. Conneway, 22, Enterprise, Ala., action
Timothy M. Conneway was a Junior ROTC star in high school – the first step in fulfilling his dream of being an Army Ranger and following his grandfather, father and brother into military service.

"He had a great personality and an ability to deal with others. He was always energetic and wanting to do things," said Sgt. Maj. Johnny Snodgrass, his JROTC instructor. "He was a guy with a military image and fit all the credentials of a soldier at a young age."

Conneway, 22, of Enterprise, Ala., was injured June 25 when a vehicle packed with explosives on the side of a Baghdad road detonated, and died two days later of cardiac arrest. Another Ranger was killed in the explosion.

"He was always a team player (and) always looked for the positive things in life," Snodgrass said. "He was liked by everybody on the (drill) team, always laughing, always happy."

He is survived by his wife, who is pregnant.

JUNE 27:

Army Cpl. Tomas Sotelo Jr., 20, Houston, Texas, action
In the eyes of his superiors, Tomas Sotelo was a guiding light for his unit.

"In those moments of stress, he would always have something to say that would lighten their hearts," said Brig. Gen. Jason Kamiya, commander of Sotelo's training unit at Fort Polk.

Sotelo's platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Zollman, said Sotelo "was like a big brother to the other soldiers."

"He was the guy who, when other soldiers would come to the unit, would help teach them what they should do and what they shouldn't do to stay out of trouble," Zollman said.

Sotelo, 22, of Houston died June 27 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq. He was the son of Tomas and Benancia Sotelo.

Zollman said the 22-man platoon – down to 19 after the three casualties – is "very close."

"We go in together and we never separate," he said. "Everybody took it hard, but we'll keep on going for him."

JUNE 26:

Army Spc. Corey A. Hubbell, 20, Urbana, Ill., non-combat related cause
For Cory A. Hubbell, the military was important in a number of ways.

"Cory was a very friendly, likable young man who looked at the Army as personal development and training, and also as service to his country," said Sam Furrer, Hubbell's high school counselor.

Hubbell, 20, of Urbana, Ill., died June 25 after being hospitalized in Kuwait with breathing difficulties.

Hubbell was a carpentry and masonry specialist based at Fort Rucker, and deployed for Kuwait on Feb. 10. He enlisted in 2001 after graduating from high school.

"He looked at it as a way to gain some skills and a trade and go on from there," Furrer said.

Navy Seaman Joshua McIntosh, 22, Kingman, Ariz., non-hostile gunshot wound
McIntosh died June 26 in Karbala, Iraq, of a non-hostile gunshot wound. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment out of Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.

Army Spc. Richard P. Orengo, 32, Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, action
Richard P. Orengo had worked since 1996 as a police officer with the motorcycle unit in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, a suburb of San Juan.

Police officers in his unit cried at news of his death and hung a photo adorned with a black ribbon in the unit's headquarters, while many Puerto Rican and U.S. flags flew at half-staff in the U.S. Caribbean territory.

Orengo, 32, died June 26 from gunshot wounds suffered while investigating a car theft in Iraq. Orengo had been assigned to the 755th Military Police Company in Arecibo and was sent to Iraq in May.

His father, Teodoro Orengo, called his son "a tremendous human being."

Orengo is survived by his wife, Carmen Ivette Berrios Rodriguez, and children ages 7, 8 and 18.

JUNE 25:

Army Spc. Andrew F. Chris, 25, San Diego, Calif., action

• Army Ranger killed in Iraq to be buried with father in Alabama

Andrew Chris, 25, died just a few days later. The Florence, Ala., native was killed along with another Ranger on June 25 when a vehicle packed with explosives on the side of a Baghdad road detonated.

"He went through some of the most rigorous training in the world just to be a Ranger," Josh Chris said. "But he loved it. He'd go on a 20-mile hike with a 60-pound pack and call me that night and be in a great mood."

Chris, who lived in San Diego, followed a long line of relatives into the military. Both of his grandfathers served in World War II, his father served in the Army, his uncle in Special Forces and his brother Derek in the Navy.

Josh Chris said knowing that his brother died doing what he loved has made it easier to accept.

"He was spiritually and emotionally ready," Chris said.

Marine Lance Cpl. Gregory E. MacDonald, 29, West Blocton, Ala., vehicle accident
Gregory MacDonald loved books and classical guitar, and studied philosophy as an undergraduate. He earned his master's degree at American University in 2001, with an eye toward a career in Middle Eastern affairs.

To him, serving in the military was a way to gain credibility and experience in the field.

"He wanted to do foreign policy work, and he wanted to do it for the Middle East, and he wanted to create peace in the Middle East," said Jeni Spevak, one of his closest friends.

MacDonald, 29, of Washington, D.C., died June 25 in a vehicle accident in Iraq. He and six other Marines were traveling to help a U.S. unit under ambush when the road's shoulder gave out.

For his brother Matt MacDonald, there was at least some comfort in the way he died.

"He died doing something meaningful," the brother said. "He was going to aid other soldiers."

Army Pfc. Kevin C. Ott, 27, Columbus, Ohio, action
Kevin Ott had worked with a youth group and sang in the church choir in his hometown of Orient, Ohio. He decided to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, and even when he was deployed to Iraq, his father says, he wasn't afraid of dying.

"He was completely at peace," said Charles Ott.

Ott's body along with that of another soldier were discovered June 28 near Baghdad, three days after they were reported missing some 25 miles away. Ott, 27, was part of an artillery unit based at Fort Sill.

Pam Condo, 49, remembered the time her brother gave her a ride on his beloved motorcycle.

"I was afraid because I knew he loved to go really fast, but to my surprise, he went really slow because he knew I was scared," she said.

Ott played defensive end for a season at Bluffton College, was on the football and basketball teams in high school, and coached his nephew's little league team, Condo said. His calls and letters during the war were reserved, but his family could tell he was proud.

"He absolutely loved Army life," Charles Ott said.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Gladimir Philippe, 37, Linden, N.J., action
The eldest of nine children, Gladimir Philippe called home from Iraq often and counseled his little brother to swear off girls and keep his head on straight.

"He was like my best friend and my brother at the same time," said Fedlyn Philippe, 16, Gladimir's youngest brother. "He was a person I could just talk to. I looked up to him a lot."

Philippe's body and that of a fellow soldier were found May 28 near Baghdad. The soldiers were reported missing three days earlier from the town of Balad, 25 miles north of the Iraqi capital.

Philippe, 37, of Roselle, N.J., was part of an artillery unit based at Fort Sill. He enlisted in the Army in 1988 after graduating from high school.

The Army "was something (Gladimir) chose to do," his brother said. "He always told me not to join. He told me to play basketball and keep my head strong and don't worry about girls, and to do good in school."

JUNE 24:

Army Spc. Cedric L. Lennon, 32, West Blocton, Ala., non-combat related cause
Cedric L. Lennon had lived with his grandmother at the end of a rural gravel road just outside West Blocton, Ala. He was deployed from Fort Polk to Iraq in March.

On June 24, the 32-year-old died in Iraq of non-combat-related causes. His death is under investigation.

Even before Lennon's death, American flags lined every telephone pole along West Blocton's Main Street, and many front doors and mailboxes were decorated with yellow ribbons.

A large corner of the West Blocton Cahaba Lily Center, a place where town meetings and events are often held, is a tribute to West Blocton war veterans. The display includes a Roll of Honor listing the names of 17 veterans killed during World War II and two killed in the Vietnam War.

JUNE 22:

Army Spc. Orenthial J. Smith, 21, Allendale, S.C., action
Orenthial J. Smith joined the high school football team his senior year, as a wide receiver and kicker. He didn't play every game, but that was OK – the coach says Smith was happy just being part of the team.

"He liked the camaraderie and the relationships he built with the guys he played with," said Carlos Cave, football coach at Allendale-Fairfax High School in South Carolina. "He tried extra hard. He always did whatever that was asked of him."

Smith, 21, died June 22 after an attack on his convoy south of Baghdad. He joined the military right out of high school, and was stationed in Germany.

Smith's mother, Iratean, said her son had hoped to make the military his career. But still, she said, he had reservations about the war.

"He loved the Army, but he didn't like the war," she said.

After arriving in Iraq, her son told her "Bush is trying to say the war is over, but the war is far from over," she said.

JUNE 19:

Army Spc. Paul T. Nakamura, 21, Sante Fe Springs, Calif., action

• SoCal soldier killed in Iraq by rocket-propelled grenade

JUNE 18:

Army Pfc. Michael R. Deuel, 21, Nemo, S.D., action
Michael Deuel found high school boring, but thrived when he transferred to a job corps training center in South Dakota. While there he also fought some forest fires – and found his calling.

"He really got this desire to become a smokejumper and the best way to do that was to go into the military to get his jump wings," said his mother, Debra Deuel. He planned on four years in the Army, then going back to school for his forestry degree.

Deuel, 21, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., was killed June 18 in an attack while on guard duty in Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Bragg.

"Mikey," as his mother called him, was born in Michigan, then lived in California until the family moved to Cheyenne, where his mother and father – Dudley "Ace" Deuel – were stationed as Air Force tech sergeants.

He loved bowling, reading and sports, and was a particular fan of the San Diego Chargers and Padres.

Army Staff Sgt. William T. Latham, 29, Kingman, Ariz, action
William T. Latham's father served in the Army, two uncles are Vietnam veterans, and both grandfathers served in World War II. So it was only natural that from the time he was 12, Latham insisted on joining the military.

"The kid ate up being in the military," said his father, Sid. "He really loved it."

Latham, 29, from Kingman, Ariz., and stationed at Fort Carson, died June 18 from injuries suffered during a May 19 raid at a suspected arms market in Iraq. Latham ordered his troops to fire a grenade at the door, and a piece of shrapnel flew under his helmet and lodged in his head, his parents were told by the military.

"I hear that the troops are blaming themselves," his father said. "It's nobody's fault."

"He attained his goal and enjoyed it. He was doing what he wanted to do," said his mother, Brenda Latham.

Latham is survived by his wife, Melissa, and three children, Patricia, 10; Travis, 9; and Jeremy, 6.

JUNE 17:

Army Pvt. Robert L. Frantz, 19, San Antonio, Texas, action
From Iraq, Robert L. Frantz told of his nights spent in the charred remains of one of Saddam Hussein's palaces and days spent guarding the Central Bank of Baghdad.

To Frantz's family, it appeared the 19-year-old high school dropout with a 2-year-old daughter had matured quickly since joining the Army and then going to war.

"He wanted his daughter to be proud of him," said his stepfather, Vincent Smith, a Lackland Air Force Base firefighter. "He grew into a man strictly overnight, by joining the Army. He was a little scared, but excited. He knew he was going to do good things."

Frantz, stationed in Germany, died June 18 from a grenade attack while on guard duty in Iraq. He joined the Army 10 months ago.

"We thought the war was over," said his mother, Kim Smith. "I told him, 'Be careful. Watch your back.' But I had no thoughts that there would be this."

Frantz is survived by his daughter, Shannon, and had planned to marry Ana Perez.

Army Sgt. Michael L. Tosto, 24, Apex, N.C., non-combat related cause
Michael L. Tosto was a tank driver who didn't die from combat, but from pneumonia that his mother said developed rapidly and killed him before he could be airlifted from Baghdad to a military hospital in Germany.

Tosto, 24, who grew up in Chatham County, N.C., and was stationed in Germany, died June 17. Family members say his death came less than 48 hours after he started showing symptoms of pneumonia. He had been assigned to duty in Baghdad April 30.

Tosto is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and 19-month-old son, Cameron.

The last time his mother, Janet Tosto, heard his voice was when he called on her May 5 birthday.

"He loved driving tanks," said his mother, of Atlantic, N.C. "He didn't like being away from his family now, and he just loved that little boy, but he really enjoyed what he did."

His mother said Tosto's wife had received two letters from him since he died in which he was "talking about how much he loved her and how much he wanted to spend the next 80 years with her."

JUNE 16:

Army Pvt. Shawn Pahnke, 25, Shelbyville, Ind., sniper

• U.S. soldiers grieve for sniper victim in Iraq

"His last letters he talked about how proud he was to be a soldier," the elder Pahnke said. "He was glad that he was finally doing what he was trained to do."

Pahnke, 25, who lived in Shelbyville, Ind., enlisted in October after getting married, and served with the 1st Armored Division's 1st Brigade. He was killed by a sniper shot in Iraq on June 16. Tom Pahnke said his son missed the birth of his child, Dean, on March 20, but was able to speak with his wife, Elisha, on a cell phone.

"She had Shawn on the phone talking to him while she had the baby," Tom Pahnke said. "Shawn was able to hear the baby cry for the first time and know that he had a son."

Army Spc. Joseph D. Suell, 24, Lufkin, Texas, non-combat related cause
Joseph Suell was known for giving it his all, whether on the basketball court or in the Army.

"Joseph was a dedicated young man," said Jesse Walker, Suell's basketball coach at Lufkin (Texas) High School. "He gave everything he had, did what the coaches asked, never made excuses and was always on time."

Suell, 24, a supply specialist stationed at Fort Sill, died June 16 in Iraq of a non-combat-related cause. His death is being investigated.

Suell was a point guard on his high school basketball team, earning honorable mention all-district status in 1996 and 1997, Walker said.

Ronald Kellam, who worked with Suell for seven months, said in an e-mail to the Lufkin Daily News from Iraq that Suell was a hero, doing a job many at home take for granted.

"A hero in his family's eye, a hero to many of the soldiers that he worked with. Joe's death came as a real shock to everyone here," he said.

"The day that Joe died was a day that I lost a brother."

Survivors include his wife, Rebecca.

JUNE 15:

Marine Pfc. Ryan R. Cox, 19, Derby, Kan., non-combat weapons discharge
Pfc. Ryan Cox enlisted in the Marine Corps for its structure, fun and a view of the world. The 19-year-old's mother, Robin Hamilton, said those visions came true. Cox, a native of Derby, Kan., surfed and skydived in California when he wasn't in training, and sent a postcard from Ireland on his way to Iraq, she said.

"He probably did more and saw more than most high school graduates," Hamilton said.

Cox, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was killed by a non-combat weapons discharge June 15. Hamilton said she spoke to her son just days before his death, and that she wasn't angry about his death.

"He was doing what he wanted to do," she said. "He was serving his country. I couldn't have asked for a better son."

JUNE 13:

Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Pokorny, 30, Naperville, Ill., vehicle accident
Staff Sgt. Andrew Pokorny joined the Army at 17 fresh out of high school and began his career as a mechanic. He met his wife, a former administrative specialist for the Army, while stationed in Germany. He served six months as a mechanic with the Army Rangers in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1992. Pokorny, 30, of Naperville, Ill., was killed June 13 when he was returning from patrol near Asad, Iraq, and his M113 armored personnel carrier went over a 4-foot drop-off on the side of the road, causing the vehicle to roll over.

"He just loved the camaraderie. He loved being with other soldiers, the soldiers who were under him. Everything about them came first," said his wife, Martha Pokorny, who lives with the couple's three children at Fort Carson, Colo., where Pokorny was based.

Pokorny's sister, Barbara Bonnet, said while Andrew worried about his troops, the family worried about him. However, she said she understood her brother's commitment to his job.

"We knew how he felt about it," Bonnet said. "This was his thing. He was proud to be doing it. He was ready to get down there and do it and do it right."

JUNE 12:

Army Spc. John K. Klinesmith, 25, Stockbridge, Ga., drowning
John K. Klinesmith was last seen June 12 wading in a lake in Fallujah, Iraq. Searchers found his clothes and gear on the lake shore and recovered his body the next day.

Klinesmith, 25, of Stockbridge, Ga., was stationed at Fort Drum. Survivors include his mother, Domenica Columbus of Carriere, Miss.

He joined the Army in 1999.

JUNE 10:

Army Pvt. Gavin Neighbor, 20, Somerset, Ohio, action
Pfc. Gavin Neighbor, a 20-year-old from Somerset, Ohio, couldn't wait to join the Army, joining the long list of relatives who had served their country in the military. His parents supported that decision, even after they received the news that Neighbor had died June 10 in a grenade attack in Baghdad.

"He loved making me proud," stepfather Willie Neighbor said while clenching a plaque that his stepson sent home after he earned his paratrooper wings. Members of Neighbor's family had served in the military in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

"Gavin was the first family member who didn't get to come home," an uncle, Mike Bonham, said. He was prepared to go overseas and eager to serve his country, his mother said.

"He loved what he was doing. He wouldn't have given it up for nothing."

Neighbor, a 2001 graduate of New Lexington High School, wanted to make the military his career and eventually hoped to join the elite Army Rangers, his parents said. Neighbor had proposed to his girlfriend, Rachel Sanderson, before leaving for the Middle East.

JUNE 8:

Army Sgt. Michael E. Dooley, 23, Pulaski, Va., action
Sgt. Michael E. Dooley, 23, of Pulaski, Va., joined the Army five years ago after graduating from Pulaski County High School. He and his wife, Christine, expected their first child, a son, in October. Dooley was killed June 8 at a checkpoint in Asad, Iraq. He served in the 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Carson, Colo.

"There hasn't been a day gone by that I didn't worry about my boy," said his mother, Ann Davis."I just wish those people would have appreciated the freedom that they had because of these American boys being there."

Davis said she had received one letter from her son since the war in Iraq began, but that Dooley's 11-year-old brother, Jacob, received one just days before he was killed. In the letter, Dooley told his younger brother he couldn't wait to be a father and that he expected Jacob to help teach his son how to play basketball, Davis said.

JUNE 7:

Army Pvt. Jesse M. Halling, 19, Indianapolis, Ind., action
Even as a child, Jesse Halling was focused on life as a soldier.

"Everything was about the military," said his mother, Pam Halling. "Ever since he was in kindergarten, drawing pictures of jets and helicopters and tanks ... it was just in him."

Halling, 19, of Indianapolis died June 7 during a battle north of Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Hood.

Halling has been widely praised for his actions during the battle, ordering others in his unit to take cover while he remained at his post and returned fire until he was hit by shrapnel. Halling was awarded a posthumous Purple Heart and has been nominated for a Silver Star Medal, the Army's third-highest medal for valor behind the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross.

"Jesse went over to Iraq to help a people have a freedom, to help a people have a peace," the Rev. D. Michael Welch said.

Halling's mother said her son's death should be a reminder that thousands of U.S. military personnel still face danger in Iraq.

"People are still getting killed in Iraq," she said. "It's happening every day."

JUNE 6:

Army Sgt. Travis Lee Burkhardt, 26, Edina, Mo., accident
Sgt. Travis Lee Burkhardt, 26, of Edina, Mo., joined the Army in 1995 to pursue an interest in law enforcement.

"He wanted to be a policeman," said Burkhardt's father, David Burkhardt. "He had always been interested in law enforcement."

David Burkhardt said his son was a highly honored soldier who most recently received an Army award for saving a life in 2002.

"Travis was a patriotic man with a great sense of duty and compassion, and he was a very good father to his children," he said.

Burkhardt, who was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company, Fort Lewis, Wash., was part of an escort mission on June 6 in Baghad when the vehicle he was in hit a curb along the road and rolled over, killing him. Burkhardt is survived by his wife, Rose; two children, Soliga, 3, and Christian, 1; his parents, David Burkhardt of Edina, and Kathy Shipley of Kahoka, Mo.; one brother, Justin; and one sister, Alicia Burkhardt of Edina and Kahoka.

Navy Petty Officer Third Class Doyle W. Bollinger, 21, Poteau, Okla., accident
Petty Officer 3rd Class Doyle W. Bollinger, 21, joined the U.S. Navy shortly after high school. He joined the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion, the Seabees. Bollinger, from Poteau, Okla., was killed June 6 when a piece of unexploded ordnance accidentally detonated in the area where he was working.

"Wayne is a very special young man and is proud to be a Navy Seabee. He died defending his country. He is without doubt one of America's finest," a family statement said. His unit has been in the Middle East since January. The unit provides construction support to the Navy, Marines and other armed forces during military operations.

"He marched to the beat of a different drum, and he was happy in his own little world," said Pat Eidschun, a retired teacher who taught Bollinger when he was in the seventh grade in Poteau.

"He wasn't very big, but he didn't know it," Eidschun said. "In his mind, he was a giant."

JUNE 5:

Army Pfc. Branden F. Oberleitner, 20, Worthington, Ohio, action
Army Pfc. Branden F. Oberleitner, 20, of the Columbus suburb of Worthington, Ohio, felt compelled to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, friends said. He was killed June 5 in Fallujah, Iraq, when his unit was fired on by a rocket-propelled grenade. Oberleitner was passionate about military service, said Kevin Earhart, who worked with Oberleitner at a gasoline station before he enlisted.

"That's all he wanted to do," he said.

Oberleitner was a 2001 graduate of Thomas Worthington High School. He took classes to prepare for a firefighting career at a vocational school in Delaware, Ohio, his junior and senior years. Friends say he was always tinkering with cars, and for years seemed to be working on the same car in his driveway. Friend and classmate Tyler Louk laughed as she remembered seeing Oberleitner elbow-deep in grease and working on the car the night of the senior prom.

"He wasn't into the social scene," she said. "He went his own way."

JUNE 3:

Army Sgt. Atanasio Haro Marin Jr., 27, Baldwin Park, Calif., action
Sgt. Atanasio Haro Marin Jr., 27, known as "Nacho" to his family, was born in Momax, Mexico, and lived there with his mother while his father worked in California picking fruit and doing construction jobs to support seven children. The family reunited in Los Angeles when he was 2, later moving to suburban Baldwin Park east of the city. He competed on the Sierra Vista High School track team and also ran in a Los Angeles Marathon. Upon graduation, he joined the National Guard and when his tour of duty ended, he transferred to the Army. He planned to make the military a career.

Marin, assigned to Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, died June 3 when his checkpoint south of Balad, Iraq, was attacked with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades. He last saw his family during a January leave, two months before he left for the Middle East. He called home twice in April and sent a Mother's Day card that read: "Don't worry, be happy."

"He was never unhappy," said his sister-in-law, Aracely Haro Marin. "He would say, 'Don't worry about it, there will be better times.'"

JUNE 1:

Army Sgt. Jonathan Lambert, 28, New Site, Miss., Humvee accident

• 'We know this is more than a job.'

In a message e-mailed to his hometown newspaper, The Banner-Independent of Booneville, Lambert had written: "I am hard and thorough with my Marines to make sure the job is done right. Many other Marines depend on us for their survival in combat. I will not let them down."

Survivors include his wife, Betty, and a 2-year-old daughter, Kinsey; and his parents, Becky and Johnny Lambert of Booneville, Miss.