Pfc. Christopher D. Mabry, U.S.M.C. (KIA)

Marine wanted to be part of the best

Pfc. Mabry, 19, of Chunky, Miss., died in combat April 7 in the Al Anbar Province in Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Mabry, who was raised by his grandmother since he was 4, was known for his perseverance. "He worked to do well at everything he did," his grandmother said.

Mabry was an honors student at Clarkdale Attendance Center in Meridian, Miss., and played football and basketball for three years in high school. Joining the Marines would help him achieve his goal of attending college, his grandmother said.

Mabry enjoyed the outdoors and caring for animals at the veterinary hospital in his hometown. He also dreamed of owning an auto-body detail shop.

He was deployed before he could begin fixing up his 1991 blue Chevy Corsica, his grandmother said. "He wanted to paint on some racing stripes. ... He put lots of thought into making it just right."

Young father: Army Pvt. Jason M. Ward could make a joke out of anything, said his wife, Jordan, whom he met in high school during lunch when he often entertained classmates with his humor.

Ward, 25, of Tulsa, died Oct. 22, 2003, in Baghdad of non-combat related injuries. He was assigned to the 1st Armored Division, Ft. Riley, Kan.

"I used to tell him you annoyed me, [but] he really just ended up charming me," his wife said.

Not long after their high school graduation, the couple had their first son, Jason Jr. The couple married in May 2001.

"We just figured that we could do it and we would do it together," she said. "Our parents tried to tell us you're too young ... but we stuck it out together and got through it together.

"If we had a problem, he always found a solution and always got us out of it."

Ward worked as a sandblaster and joined the Army after the birth of their second son, Kobe. He wanted to honor his deceased father's military service and to help create a better life for his family, said his wife.

"He is a hero," she said. "He will never be forgotten and we love him and we are so proud of what he sacrificed his life for."

`He liked heroes': When Marine Pfc. James R. Dillon Jr. picked a movie to watch, it was often an action adventure.

And whether it was James Bond or Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars," "he liked the heroes," said his stepfather, Sam Snyder. "He had developed a keen sense of right and wrong. He wanted to be part of the good guys."

He joined the Marines straight out of high school in 2002, trying to fulfill that goal, said his stepfather, who helped raise Dillon from age 5 to 16 and is now divorced from Dillon's mother.

Dillon died of a non-combat related injury in March 2003 in Kuwait, according to the Department of Defense, just days before his 19th birthday. His name was not released until this past February.

Dillon was a member of the broadcast production class at Grove City (Pa.) High School, where he was known for his "Dillon's Top 10," a witty comedy bit that went out over the school's intercom every Friday.

"He had a real dry, intelligent sense of humor," said Patty Wilson, Dillon's guidance counselor at the school who still has a picture of him on her bulletin board. "He was a good kid."