Joseph A. Gage, 28,

of Modesto; staff sergeant, Army. Gage was one of three soldiers killed Nov. 2 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicles. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Jose A. Galvan, 22,

of San Antonio; corporal, Marine Corps. Galvan died Nov. 5 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

Mark C. Gelina, 33,

of Moberly, Mo.; second lieutenant, Marine Corps. Gelina died Nov. 4 from a nonhostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Miles P. Henderson, 24,

of Amarillo, Texas; chief warrant officer, Army. Henderson was one of two soldiers killed Monday in Balad, Iraq, when their Apache helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Eric J. Kruger, 40,

of Garland, Texas; lieutenant colonel, Army. Kruger was one of three soldiers killed Nov. 2 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicles. He was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Carson, Colo.

Ryan T. McCaughn, 19,

of Manchester, N.H.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. McCaughn died Tuesday while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Charles J. McClain, 26,

of Fort Riley, Kan.; sergeant, Army. McClain was one of three soldiers who died of injuries sustained Oct. 31 when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Wygal Valley, Afghanistan. He later died in Asadabad, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

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Alex Oceguera, 19,

of San Bernardino; private first class, Army. Oceguera was one of three soldiers who died of injuries sustained Oct. 31 when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Wygal Valley, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Kyle W. Powell, 21,

of Colorado Springs, Colo.; corporal, Marine Corps. Powell died Nov. 4 from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

John R. Priestner, 42,

of Pennsylvania; chief warrant officer, Army. Priestner was one of two soldiers killed Monday in Balad, Iraq, when their Apache helicopter crashed. He was assigned to the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Douglas E. Sloan, 40,

of Evans Mills, N.Y.; major, Army. Sloan was one of three soldiers who died of injuries sustained Oct. 31 when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Wygal Valley, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Lucas T. White, 28,

of Moses Lake, Wash.; sergeant, Army. White died Monday in Baghdad of injuries suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces while on patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Jason D. Whitehouse, 27,

of Phoenix; staff sergeant, Marine Corps. Whitehouse died Nov. 2 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Intelligence Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

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Army Pfc. Keith J. Moore, 28,

San Francisco; CA. On Oct. 14, he also became San Francisco's second Iraqi war casualty. His death, described by the Department of Defense only as the result of a "noncombat-related injury," is under investigation. It could be months before his family learns the particulars.

As a chaplain at the Veterans Affairs hospital south of San Francisco, Susan Turley has faced the most intimate consequences of the Iraq war. She also has developed a deep admiration of military culture and purpose. So when her only child revealed earlier this year he had enlisted in the Army, Turley reacted with fear and respect. Until well past 2 a.m., mother and son sat together, talking it out.

Instead, they are left with his memory -- that of a young man with well-researched convictions who chose to serve his country.

Moore was born in Newton, Mass., to Turley and Clifford J. Moore Jr., an attorney. The family bounced around -- to Portland, Maine; San Pedro; and outside Sacramento. It was there, in the El Dorado County town of Rescue, that Moore's sixth-grade teacher pulled Turley aside: Keith was unusually gifted, she said, and really bored.

Seeking a more individualized academic environment, the family moved to San Francisco, where Keith enrolled in Woodside International School, a tiny private academy. He studied Latin, math and science. At 16, he graduated -- as a National Merit Scholar semifinalist.

Moore had talked of joining the armed forces at age 17. Now, he spoke of learning to be a bomb detonator, of seeking corrective eye surgery to become a helicopter pilot. Although "not naive about the complexities of Iraq," Turley said, her son spoke most passionately about wanting to serve Iraqi civilians by serving his country.

He completed basic and advanced training in Georgia and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Ft. Drum, N.Y.

Frustrated by what was to be a six-month wait for deployment to Iraq, he volunteered for a unit soon heading there.

Moore landed in August. He told his parents about heading out on eight-day patrols, and of a weapon that was rusty and in need of repairs. He died in Baghdad.

Late last month, a team of nearly 20 motorcyclists from the volunteer Patriot Guard Riders helped escort Moore's casket from San Francisco International Airport, stopping traffic on Interstate 280. Then, they turned toward the ocean that Moore loved, crawling up the Great Highway at twilight as surfers and beachgoers stood at attention to pay respects.

He was buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno.

In addition to his parents, both of San Francisco, Moore is survived by his grandmothers, Peggy Moore of Richmond, Calif.; and Marilyn Turley of Olympia, Wash.

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Army Spc. Jose R. Perez, 21,

Ontario, CA; killed by a sniper in Iraq as he and six other frontline fighters were on a security watch on a rooftop in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, when they were attacked with small-arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany.

For more than two years, Army Spc. Jose R. Perez had preached the virtues of military service -- and in the same breath talked about using his veterans benefits to open a barbershop in his hometown of Ontario. The plan sounded admirable, even cozy, to his wife and high school sweetheart, Violeta, who only wanted a stable life for their infant daughter, Izabel, and 4-year-old son, Jose Jr.

Until he was killed by a sniper Oct. 18 in Iraq, the infantryman assured his wife that, as she put it, "he was safe, and a little closer to being able to give his son all the things he didn't have growing up."

Perez was among 10 California troops killed in October, one of the bloodiest months for U.S. forces since the war began in 2003.

"He was a great American," said Wayne Marotto, a spokesman for the 1st Armored Division. "He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country." Those closest to Perez remember him as a loving father with a cheery smile and a passion for playing soccer.

"He just loved that game; he played it his whole life," his 21-year-old wife said. The couple were married March 20, 2004, in a low-key ceremony beside a small decorative fountain at Victory Chapel in San Bernardino. Six days later, Perez reported for basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga.

"He didn't tell me he'd enlisted, but after I learned he had, I was right there with him," his wife said. "He was very proud of being in the Army. We were all proud of him, and we told him so all the time."

In addition to his wife and children, Perez is survived by his father, Jose; his mother, Maria; a brother, Eduardo; and two sisters, Claudia and Stephanie.

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Navy Seaman Charles O. Sare, 23,

Hemet, CA; A medic, Sare was killed when a roadside bomb blew up near his Humvee in Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense.

He loved anything to do with off-roading, got a kick out of Adam Sandler movies and disdained "tree-huggers." Navy Seaman Charles Otto "Otter" Sare also had a tender side, say family and friends of the 23-year-old Hemet native killed Oct. 23 in Iraq.

When Sare deployed to "the sandbox" Sept. 1, he took with him a teddy bear given to him by his girlfriend of seven months. He told her that he would keep it by his heart, she recounted on Sare's home page on MySpace.com.

He is the fourth graduate of Hemet High School to be killed in Iraq.

His father, Charles "Ed" Sare of Hemet, said Otto entered the service because he wanted to become a paramedic firefighter. "He was there to do a job and get the experience," his father said. "But he believed in the mission. That's why he wanted to go."

Sare enlisted in 2004 and was stationed at the Naval Ambulatory Care Center in Port Hueneme. His family said that shortly after arriving in Iraq, he helped save the life of a fellow serviceman, an event he spoke of with great pride.

Called "Otter" by everyone, Sare was a happy-go-lucky guy who tried to coax a smile from others, his father said. He was close to his younger brother, Matt, and spoke of moving to Las Vegas with him once he left the service, according to his MySpace page.

His mother, Vikki Carver, a resident of Nibley, Utah, called her son "my closest friend, even though I had to be a parent too. He never judges, only tries to compliment you."

Sare was buried Nov. 1 in Hemet in a service attended by 600 people. His tricked-out Toyota pickup truck led the procession of mourners to San Jacinto Valley Cemetery.

"There are no words to describe the hurt," his father said.

Chris-
Nothing new on Bob. He's at MOS training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma for a couple months. He's in artillery. It's called either Field Artillery or Heavy Artillery, I can't recall.

Oohrah

I'm just glad Bob is still here in the U.S. Is he feeling somewhat better now? I know you said he was a bit under the weather for a little while. Is your family going to get together with him for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas? It would be nice if you could.

The story was Medals carry great weight, as do men who wear them.

"I'm just glad Bob is still here in the U.S. Is he feeling somewhat better now? I know you said he was a bit under the weather for a little while. Is your family going to get together with him for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas? It would be nice if you could." - Cal

He'll only get a few days off at Thanksgiving - we're not sure he'll be coming home for that. But he will make it home for Christmas.

He had the MERSA virus (I think that's the acronym) on his face. Most painful thing he's ever been thru - they had to lance it from inside his mouth. Face swelled like a potato, but luckily all the scarring occured inside his mouth and not on the outside.

After his couple months in OK, he will then be assigned to some other group and could potentially be headed overseas if that group's deployment is on the calendar.

Miles P. Henderson, 24

This gentleman was a member of my unit. He will be missed by the pegasus team.

RIP...

God rest their souls, bless and comfort their families, and bring an end to this war.