Spc. Eugene A. Uhl III

21

1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

Amherst, Wisconsin

Killed when two 101st Airborne Division UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided in mid-air over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003

Sgt. Melissa Valles

26

64th Forward Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division

Eagle Pass, Texas

Died as a result of non-combat related injuries on July 9, 2003, in Balad, Iraq

Spc. Allen J. Vandayburg

20

2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division

Mansfield, Ohio

Killed when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle in Barez, Iraq, on April 9, 2004

BRIAN K. VAN DUSEN

Age: 39

Rank: Chief Warrant Officer, 571st Air Medical Company

Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.

The last time David Van Dusen talked to his younger brother was the day Brian shipped out for the Persian Gulf in April. They made plans for their annual deer hunting trip in December.

''You just can't take anything for granted,'' David Van Dusen said. ''I'm going to miss him. He was a good brother and a great father.''

Van Dusen was killed May 9 when his helicopter snagged a power line and crashed near Samarrah, Iraq, while on a mission to evacuate a wounded Iraqi child. The child, in a second helicopter, survived.

Van Dusen, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, was married and had a 6-year-old daughter and a 2-

year-old son. He had been flying military helicopters for 19 years.

David Van Dusen is certain his brother was doing what he wanted when hedied.

''He believed in saving lives, not taking them,'' he said.

Staff Sgt. Mark D. Vasquez

35

1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division

Port Huron, Michigan

Killed when the Bradley Fighting Vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device in Fallujah, Iraq, on November 8, 2003

Spc. Frances M. Vega

20

151st Adjutant General Postal Company, 3rd Personnel Group

Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico

Vega was aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it crashed near Fallujah, Iraq, on November 2, 2003

1st Lt. Michael W. Vega

41

223rd Military Intelligence Company, 223rd Military Intelligence Battalion, California Army National Guard

Lathrop, California

Vega was injured when his military vehicle rolled over in Diwaniyah, Iraq, on March 11, 2004. He was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., where he died on March 20, 2004.

Master Sgt. Alfonso Vega Calvo

41

Spanish National Intelligence Center and Army Light Infantry Division

Stuttgart, Germany

Killed when a convoy of Spanish military intelligence officials was ambushed in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on November 29, 2003

Staff Sgt. Paul A. Velazquez

29

2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, III Corps Artillery

California

Velazquez was onboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it crashed near Fallujah, Iraq, on November 2, 2003

Cpl. David M. Vicente

25

2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Methuen, Massachusetts

Killed in an attack near Hit, Iraq, on March 19, 2004

Staff Sgt. Kimberly A. Voelz

27

the 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Killed when an improvised explosive device detonated when Voelz responded to an explosive ordnance disposal call in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on December 14, 2003

Lance Cpl. Michael B. Wafford

20

1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Spring, Texas

Died due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 8, 2004

Staff Sgt. Allan K. Walker

28

2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Lancaster, California

Killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 6, 2004

Sgt. Jeffery C. Walker

33

Company C, 782nd Main Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division

Havre de Grace, Maryland

Killed when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter he was onboard was shot down during a medical evacuation mission in Fallujah, Iraq, on January 8, 2004

Warrant Officer Colin Wall

34

150 Provost Company, Royal Military Police

County Durham, England

Killed during an attack by gunmen on a British military ambulance in Basra, Iraq on August 23, 2003

DONALD R. WALTERS

Age: 33

Rank: Sergeant

Unit: 507th Maintenance Company

Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

Donald Walters, an Army veteran ''traumatized'' by service in the 1991 Gulf War, reenlisted last year to give his family stability. When assigned for duty in Iraq in February, he told his mother he had a feeling he wouldn't be coming back.

''He didn't want to go,'' said his father, Norman Walters. ''But he didn't have a choice. He had his orders. He felt it was his duty.''

When Donald Walters was 11, his family moved from Colorado to Oregon. He joined the Army after graduating from North Salem High School in 1988.

In 1991, he drew duty guarding Iraqi prisoners.

''He came back traumatized from that experience,'' said his sister, Kimberly Cieslak of Salem. ''He told us he had to see way too many dead people, and the children were the worst part.''

Walters served in the Reserve for 10 years before reenlisting. He had three daughters from two marriages.

Maj. Jason Ward

34

Royal Marines

Hometown of record not available

Killed in a U.S. CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crash south of the Kuwait border on March 21, 2003

Pvt. Jason M. Ward

25

2nd Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Died of a non-combat injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 22, 2003

Pfc. Gerard Wasilewski

20

12th Mechanized Brigade

Szczecin, Poland

Killed in an accidental shooting at a Polish Army base in Karbala, Iraq, on December 22, 2003

Lance Cpl. Christopher B. Wasser

21

3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Ottawa, Kansas

Died due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 8, 2004

KENDALL DAMON WATERS-BEY

CAMP PENDLETON, CALIF.

Age: 29

Rank: Staff Sergeant, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

Hometown: Baltimore

Kendall Waters-Bey joined the Marines right out of high school when the mother of his only child became pregnant, so his son would have a better life.

''He said he wanted to get away from being on the streets,'' said his father, Michael Waters-Bey. ''He wanted to do something positive to take care of his son.''

Waters-Bey was killed March 20 when his CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed in Kuwait.

Waters-Bey had taken his 10-year-old son, Kenneth, to live with him in San Diego last Thanksgiving. He took his son to a gun range, showed him around the military base and played ball with him.

But he sent Kenneth back to Baltimore to live with the boy's mother after receiving orders to go to Kuwait in February.

Tawanda Poteat, Waters-Bey's first wife, said she intended to get her son a computer so he could send e-mails to his father.

Said the brave fifth-grader, ''I'm feeling sad now because my father is gone and I won't see him again.''

WILLIAM R. WATKINS III

U.S. AIR FORCE, SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C.

Age: 37

Rank: Major, 333rd Fighter Squadron

Hometown: Danville, Va.

William Watkins was physical enough to play football in high school, but cultured enough to sing in the choir.

''He was a big fellow, but very artistic,'' recalled English teacher Edward Blain.

Watkins, serving as weapons system officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle, was killed when the aircraft went down near Tikrit, Iraq, during a combat mission April 7.

Watkins graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989. He served 12 years in the Navy, and in 2001 transferred to the Air Force.

After joining the military, Watkins went back to school and helped student actors with a production that included some military elements.

''He showed us how to salute,'' Blain said.

Watkins' wife of five years, Maj. Melissa Watkins, is an Air Force intelligence officer. She is due to give birth to their second child in August. Their son, William, is 10 months old.

Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A. Weaver

32

C Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division

Florida

Killed when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter he was onboard was shot down during a medical evacuation mission in Fallujah, Iraq, on January 8, 2004

Spc. Douglas J. Weismantle

28

1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Killed when an Iraqi dump truck swerved and rolled over on top of his Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 13, 2003

MICHAEL RUSSELL WELDON

Age: 20

Rank: Private First Class, 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division

Hometown: Palm Bay, Fla.

Michael Weldon took after his mother when he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army last year. Sergeant Major Jean Weldon had recently retired after 20 years' service.

''He wanted to follow in his mother's footsteps,'' his mother said from her home in Palm Bay, Fla. ''He chose infantry because he's a tough guy.''

Weldon was one of four soldiers killed March 29 by a suicide car bomber at an Army checkpoint near Najaf, Iraq.

In a letter that arrived last week, Weldon told his family that soldiers endeavored to ''do the right thing.''

Weldon's military duties kept him from marrying his fiancéé, Kerri, before he left for Iraq. He has a brother, 15 -- with whom he would play PlayStation video games whenever he visited -- and sister, 23.

''My son was the strength of the household,'' Jean Weldon said. ''After I got divorced, Michael was the man of the house.''

Chief Warrant Officer Stephen M. Wells

29

4th Squadron, Outlaw Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment

Massachusetts

Killed when the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter he was flying crashed in Habbinayah, Iraq, on February 25, 2004

Spc. Jeffrey M. Wershow

22

2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard

Gainesville, Florida

Shot and killed while conducting military operations on July 6, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq

Spc. Christopher J. Rivera Wesley

26

1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

Portland, Oregon

Killed when an embankment collapsed, causing his Stryker infantry carrier vehicle to roll over into a canal in Ad Duluiyah, Iraq, on December 8, 2003

Lt. Philip West

32

849 Squadron A Flight, Royal Navy

Budock Water, England

Killed when two British helicopters collided over the Persian Gulf on March 22, 2003

Spc. Donald L. Wheeler

22

C Battery, 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment

Concord, Michigan

Killed when his convoy was attacked with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire on October 13, 2003 in Balad, Iraq

Sgt. Mason Douglas Whetstone

30

3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, V Corps

Utah

Died of non-combat injuries in Baghdad, Iraq on July 17, 2003

AARON DEAN WHITE

Age: 27

Rank: Staff Sergeant, Unit: Medium Helicopter Squadron -- 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Hometown: Shawnee, Okla.

Aaron White was always drawn to the action: He was a volunteer firefighter even as a teenager.

''He was always wanting to help,'' said his mother, Karen White. ''He was a volunteer firefighter in Sasakwa before he could even drive. He would go out on calls with his dad.''

That temperament continued as a Marine in Iraq.

''He complained at first, because he wasn't as close to the action as he wanted to be,'' said his father, Darrell White.

White was killed May 19 when his CH-46 Sea-Knight helicopter crashed into a canal near Hillah, Iraq, shortly after take-off.

White enlisted as a senior at Shawnee High School. He trained on weekends before graduating in 1994.

''He loved it,'' his mother said. ''We were able to go watch him train.''

White and his wife of five years, Michelle, have a daughter, Brianna Nicole, 1.

NATHAN D. WHITE

Age: 30

Rank: Lieutenant, Strike Fighter Squadron One Nine Five (VFA 195)

Hometown: Mesa, Ariz.

Nathan White was daring long before he became a Navy pilot. He once taped the answer sheet to a school test to the front of the teacher's desk, where everyone but the teacher could see it.

''Everyone got a pretty good grade on that one,'' his father, Dennis White, recalled.

White was killed April 2 when his F/A-18C Hornet aircraft was hit, apparently by a coalition-

launched Patriot missile, over Iraq.

White graduated from Cooper High School in Abilene, Texas, in 1991. He attended Brigham Young University, and spent two years as a missionary in Japan.

The elder White, a former Air Force pilot, was surprised when his son passed up law school to follow a similar path.

'He called me and said, `You won't believe what I just did,' '' Dennis White said. ' `I joined the Navy.' ''

White and his wife, Akiko, had three children, Courtney, Austin and Zachary.

Sgt. Steven W. White

29

4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division

Lawton, Oklahoma

Died of injuries he received when his M113 armored personnel carrier hit an antitank mine in Tikrit, Iraq, on August 13, 2003

WILLIAM W. WHITE

Age: 24

Rank: Lance Corporal, 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 1st Marine Division

Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.

William White's mother, Martha Holder, was uneasy about her son going to Iraq.

''She just didn't want him to go,'' said an aunt, Rita Russell. ''It's like she had a premonition that something bad would happen.''

White drowned March 29 after his military Humvee rolled into a canal in a noncombat accident.

White graduated from Bushwick High School in 1998. He married Mychell in September 2001.

White's Army veteran father, Mark White, offered to search for a way to get his son excused from duty in Iraq. The young man told him not to.

''He said he was a soldier, not a fake Marine,'' said his cousin, Althia Russell-Muse. ''He had trained all these years and now he wanted to do his job.''

White enclosed a $100 bill in his last letter home to help his brother Bryan pay his cellular phone bill. ''If you already paid your bill,'' he wrote, ''keep the dough anyways.''

Pfc. Joey D. Whitener

19

1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

Nebo, North Carolina

Killed when two 101st Airborne Division UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided in mid-air over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003

Flight Lt. David Rhys Williams

N/A

9 Squadron, Royal Air Force

Hometown of record not available

Killed when his aircraft was downed by a U.S. Patriot missile near the Kuwaiti border on March 23, 2003.

EUGENE WILLIAMS

Age: 24

Rank: Sergeant, 2-7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division

Hometown: Highland, N.Y.

Sergeant Eugene Williams, already the father of a 3-year-old daughter, was expecting his second child in June.

Williams was one of four soldiers killed March 29 by a suicide car bomber at an Army checkpoint near Najaf, Iraq.

Fighting back tears as she spoke on NBC's ''Today'' show, Brandy Williams said she would tell her children that their father gave his life for his country, ''and that even though he's not here, he loves them with all his heart and that he's always going to be our hero.''

Williams' brother, Erick, 19, is also in the Army and stationed in Iraq, said their sister, Lori Ackert.

Ackert said she got a letter Saturday -- the day he died -- in which her brother wrote that he couldn't wait to return to Ulster County, in New York's Hudson Valley, and cook his family a good meal.

''This just brings the family together,'' she said. ''It opens our eyes and makes us realize you can die at any time.''

Lt. James Williams

28

849 Squadron A Flight, Royal Navy

Falmouth, England

Killed when two British helicopters collided over the Persian Gulf on March 22, 2003

MICHAEL J. WILLIAMS

Age: 31

Rank: Lance Corporal, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade

Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.

In an e-mail message sent

from a ship carrying him to Kuwait a few weeks ago, Michael Williams asked his girlfriend, Heather Strange, to marry him.

She said yes.

Williams was killed in combat March 23 in fierce fighting near Nassiriyah in Iraq. His body was recovered March 28.

Williams attended Deer Valley High School and Glendale Community College.

He opened a successful flooring business, but gave it up to join the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks, said his mother, Sandy Watson.

His fellow Marines gave Williams the nickname ''Omar'' -- short for ''Old Man River'' -- because he was a full 10 years older than the rest of his unit, Strange said.

But he took the jabs in good humor, she said.

''He was very proud to be able to do what he was doing,'' she said.

Spc. Michael L. Williams

46

105th Military Police Company, Army National Guard

Buffalo, New York

Killed when his vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device near Baghdad, Iraq, on October 17, 2003

Sgt. Taft V. Williams

29

3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment

New Orleans, Louisiana

Killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device on August 12, 2003, near Ramadi, Iraq

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher R. Willoughby

29

221st Military Intelligence Battalion, Army National Guard

Phenix City, Alabama

Died when the vehicle he was in rolled over in Baghdad, Iraq on July 20, 2003

Lt. Andrew S. Wilson RN

36

849 Squadron

Hometown of record not available

Killed when two British helicopters collided over the Persian Gulf on March 22, 2003

Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry L. Wilson

45

1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division

Thomson, Georgia

Killed when the vehicle he was in was attacked in Mosul, Iraq, on November 23, 2003

Staff Sgt. Joe N. Wilson

30

2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 212th Field Artillery Brigade

Mississippi

Wilson was aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it crashed near Fallujah, Iraq, on November 2, 2003

Rifleman Vincent Calvin Windsor

23

A Company, 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets

Oxfordshire, England

Killed in a traffic accident in Amarah, Iraq, on January 21, 2004

Lance Cpl. William J. Wiscowiche

20

1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Victorville, California

Killed in action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on March 30, 2004

Spc. Robert A. Wise

21

3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Infantry Brigade, Army National Guard

Tallahassee, Florida

Killed when an improvised explosive device exploded near his mounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 12, 2003

Spc. Michelle M. Witmer

20

32nd Military Police Company, Wisconsin Army National Guard

New Berlin, Wisconsin

Killed when she became involved in an improvised explosive device and small arms attack in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 9, 2004

Spc. James R. Wolf

21

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 52nd Engineer Combat Battalion

Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Killed when an improvised explosive device was detonated near his convoy in Mosul, Iraq, on November 6, 2003

2nd Lt. Jeremy L. Wolfe

27

4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

Wisconsin

Killed when two 101st Airborne Division UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided in mid-air over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003

Sgt. Elijah Tai Wah Wong

42

363rd Explosive Ordnance Company, Arizona National Guard

Mesa, Arizona

Killed when a collection of unexploded ordnance, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds detonated while being moved to a demolition point in Sinjar, Iraq, on February 9, 2004

Capt. George A. Wood

33

1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division

New York, New York

Killed when his tank rolled over an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Baqubah, Iraq, on November 20, 2003

Spc. Michael R. Woodliff

22

Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division

Port Charlotte, Florida

Killed when an improvised explosive device struck his convoy in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 2, 2004

Spc. James C. Wright

27

4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division

Morgan, Texas

Killed when his unit was ambushed with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Tikrit, Iraq, on September 18, 2003

Pfc. Jason G. Wright

19

1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division

Luzerne, Michigan

Killed while on security duty when his vehicle came under fire from a passing vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, on December 8, 2003

2nd Lt. John T. Wroblewski

25

2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Oak Ridge, New Jersey

Killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 6, 2004

Pfc. Stephen E. Wyatt

19

C Battery, 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment

Kilgore, Texas

Killed when his convoy was attacked with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire on October 13, 2003 in Balad, Iraq

Sgt. Michael E. Yashinski

24

501st Forward Support Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade

Monument, Colorado

Died of injuries sustained after he was apparently electrocuted while repairing wire on a communication tower in Kirkuk, Iraq, on December 24, 2003

Sgt. Henry Ybarra III

32

D Troop, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry, 11th Aviation Regiment

Austin, Texas

Killed when the tire he was changing on a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck exploded on September 11, 2003, in Balad, Iraq

Sgt. Ryan C. Young

21

1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division

Corona, California

Died on December 2, 2003 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., of wounds he received when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq on November 8, 2003

Robert J. Zangas

44

Department of the Army civilian assigned to the Coalition Provisional Authority

Prince William County, Virginia

Zangas, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist who served in Iraq in 2003, was killed when gunmen posing as Iraqi police officers stopped his vehicle at a makeshift checkpoint near Hillah, Iraq, on March 9, 2004

Sgt. 1st Class Luis Ignacio Zanon Tarazona

36

Spanish National Intelligence Center and Air Force

Cuart de Poblet, Spain

Killed when a convoy of Spanish military intelligence officials was ambushed in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on November 29, 2003

Lance Cpl. Robert P. Zurheide Jr.

20

2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

Tucson, Arizona

Died from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 12, 2004

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

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