Army Spc. Aaron S. Aamot

Aaron Aamot was fifth in a family of eight children and grew up in a small town called Custer _ a place his father referred to as the "backside of the sticks."

There, in north Washington state, Aamot was in the 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America program. He raised pheasants and bobwhite quail. He even had his own golden raspberry field on his parents' small farm.

"Raising and showing chickens at the fair was a big deal for him," said his older brother, Matt Aamot. "He kind of took after me."

Aaron Aamot, 22, was killed by a roadside bomb Nov. 5 in Jelewar. He was based at Fort Lewis, some 150 miles south of where he grew up.

"I still think of him as a kid, even though he's 22," his brother said. "He was a real fun kid. He was great with his nephews and nieces, just easygoing. He was a nice brother. I'm honored to have been his brother."

Aamot graduated from Ferndale High School in 2006, the same year he enlisted. He deployed to Afghanistan for the first time in July.

"I'm pretty heartbroken, but I'm proud of his service," Matt Aamot said.

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Army Spc. Julian L. Berisford

Julian Berisford wanted to be there for his daughter's first steps, so he asked his wife to hold little Mya back just until he could come home.

He was supposed to come home in November to celebrate Mya's first birthday.

The Army specialist who loved hunting, fishing _ and "the great outdoors," as he wrote on his MySpace page _ was proud of his family and proud of being a soldier, said Berisford's cousin Randi Jo Chavanak.

"The only thing he said before he left was that he was going to do things right for families like ours," Chavanak said. "He was going to fight for families."

Berisford, 25, of Benwood, W.Va., was killed Nov. 4 in Paktika province when insurgents attacked his unit. He was assigned to Fort Richardson. He graduated from John Marshall High School in 2002 and enlisted in February 2007.

Berisford's interests are clear from his MySpace page _ he professes his love for West Virginia University sports and has several photos of a fishing trip to Canada. Also posted are numerous photos of his wife, Gina, and his daughter.

"He was a jokester and a fun-loving guy and always smiling," said Cathy Jones, whose son went to school with Berisford.

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Marine Staff Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright

Charles Cartwright had been wounded in combat before _ he had received two Purple Hearts before his death _ but still fought without fear, a fellow Marine said.

Staff Sgt. Gerald Hooee Jr., who served in Iraq with Cartwright, recalled one of their missions to draw enemy fire.