One Brick Short

Army Sgt. Timothy P. Martin
Timothy P. Martin told neighbor and childhood friend Samuel Resa of his dream to join the armed forces. They lifted weights together, and they built a huge obstacle course in an old barn and pretended to be in training camp.

“I always looked up to him like a big brother,” said Resa, a veteran of the Marines.

Martin, 27, an intelligence specialist from Pixley, Calif., was killed Feb. 8 in Taji when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Schofield Barracks.

“He could have been successful at any profession, but he was drawn to a life of service to others,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Brown. “He chose selfless service toward the cause of freedom over the comforts of an easier life.”

A love of target shooting, which he developed as a teenager shooting cans and cereal boxes on his farm, served Martin well in the military. He also loved speeding through the country roads in his Mustang.

He studied biology at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, where he excelled in genetics and math, and dreamed of joining the FBI.
He is survived by his parents, Anthony and Lucy.

Army Spc. Micheal B. Matlock
Micheal B. Matlock’s death cut short a life moving in the right direction, his mother said.

Sheena Douglas said Matlock, who was fond of bowling and dancing, had gone through “a few little rough spots” and worked in some minimum-wage jobs but showed increasing seriousness.

“He was changing, he was growing up, he was becoming a good man like I wanted to see him,” Douglas said.

Matlock, Jr., 21, of Glen Burnie, Md., was killed Feb. 20 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell.

At his funeral, Matlock’s sister, Tiffany Matlock, read a poem she had written to her brother, reminiscing about their shared jokes and late-night talks over “Whoppers and Cokes,” and freestyle rapping over homemade beats.

He is survived by his wife, Breon, and son, Byron, 1.

Cheryl Timmons, an aunt, read a letter that Breon wrote to her husband after his death. After their first date, his wife wrote, “From then on it was us.”
“You said, ‘If we love each other we can make it work.’ ... I remember the look on your face when I told you would be a father. Your eyes brightened up.”

Army Pfc. Brandon A. Meyer
Brandon A. Meyer and his wife, Caitlin, met on a blind date. She fell in love with the young man who had moved to Orange County from Texas to be closer to the beach. He also loved music, baseball and football.

She gave him a stuffed horse wearing a baby blue outfit with a shirt reading, “Surf’s up.”

“He just sat there with a stupid, goofy grin on his face and said, ‘That’s the first time someone’s actually listened to what I like,”‘ said Caitlin Meyer.

Meyer, 20, of Orange, Calif., was killed Jan. 28 in an explosive in Mosul. He was born in Beatrice, Neb., and went to high school in Texas. He was assigned to Fort Carson.

The summer before he left for Iraq, Meyer had Caitlin kiss a piece of paper and had the image tattooed over his heart. He nearly fainted when her name was tattooed across his back. On his left arm, he had a Chinese character for warrior.

A towering 6-foot-4, with size 13 shoes, Meyer would scare friends and family with masks, imitate voices from TV and movies, and plant fake plastic bugs to elicit screams. He also loved teasing his younger sister Desiree, now 18.

Army Spc. Keisha M. Morgan
Diana Morgan described her daughter, Keisha M. Morgan, as a “very wonderful person” who liked to draw and to write poetry and planned to fulfill an ambition to become a nurse.

She had wanted to be a nurse “since she was very, very young,” her mother said.

Morgan, 25, of Washington, D.C., died Feb. 22 in Baghdad of a non-combat related cause. Her mother said she suffered two seizures in her barracks.

She was born in Texas, where her father, Michael Morgan, was in the Army, and was raised in the District. Morgan was “very good in school,” and “teachers adored her,” her mother said. She was tall and slender, her mother said, and did some photo and runway modeling.

The Saturday before her death, she phoned her mother, saying: “Guess what I just did. I reenlisted.” She was assigned to Fort Hood and was on her second tour in Iraq.

Keisha Morgan “just wanted to do what she wanted to do,” and “she’d always tell me, I’m going to be OK,” her mother said. “I feel like my heart’s been broken since she’s been gone.”

Army Spc. Kevin S. Mowl
Last year while on leave, Kevin S. Mowl visited the Rochester School for the Deaf, where his father was superin-tendent. He told the students about Iraq, his sense of purpose, and how he handed out candy to children.

Some students were thrilled to meet him in person and impressed with his sign language. “We don’t know a lot of soldiers here,” said Derrick Behm, a senior. “We are all deaf, and we can’t be soldiers. We don’t get to meet those kind of people very often.”

Mowl, 22, of Pittsford, N.Y., died Feb. 25 at the National Naval Medical Center of wounds he suffered in Bagh-dad on Aug. 2, 2007, when his vehicle was struck by an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Lewis.

Mowl loved to drive around in the family’s yellow Toyota Celica. He started karate as a youngster and earned a black belt in his teens.

He wanted to become a teacher, but had picked up some Arabic and thought he could build a career out of con-flict resolution, said his father, Harold Mowl Jr. “I often hear that when boys go into the Army, they come out as men. Kevin was a perfect example of that.”

He also is survived by his mother, Mary.

Army Capt. Michael A. Norman
A former enlisted soldier who studied Korean at the Defense Language Institute, Michael A. Norman had a spe-cial rapport with his own soldiers after he became an officer.

He gave them cards with his phone number on them, and told them to call him if they drank too much and needed to be picked up.

“He would come and get you, no questions asked,” said Sgt. 1st Class Terry Brown. “Instead of beating you down, he said, ‘Learn from your mistakes.’ He said it makes them a better person, a better soldier.”

Norman, 36, of Killeen, Texas, was killed Jan. 31 in Baghdad by an explosion. He got his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and was assigned to Fort Riley.

“All the old ladies at church thought he was God-sent. He knew when they got a new hairstyle or were wearing a new dress,” said his mother, Beverly Norman.
That’s because Michael cared about clothes. “He has more shoes than me,” said his wife, June. His shoes had to match everything he wore.

He also liked playing the guitar and was always singing. At their engagement party, Michael sang Elvis’ “Fools Rush In.”

He is survived by two children, Sammy, 10, and Summer, 4.

Army Sgt. John C. Osmolski

Theresa Ohland, an administrative assistant at New Hope Presbyterian Church, knew John C. Osmolski be-cause he was active in the church’s youth group and went on a mission trip with her daughter.

“He was a sweetheart, and I’m sure his life spoke to a lot of the people that were in his military company,” she said. “He was just one of those kids that never got in trouble.”

Osmolski, 23, of Eustis, Fla., was killed Feb. 5 by an explosive in Muqdadiyah. He attended Orlando’s Valencia Community College and was assigned to Fort Bragg.

“He was just doing his job,” said his brother, Daniel Osmolski. “His goal was always to go into the Army and serve his country.”

Daniel Osmolski said John was considered the clown of the family. He remembered his wedding, when John was the best man. Rather than make a toast, John gave Daniel a pair of boots that he dubbed “man-of-the-house boots.” One boot had “Man of the” embroidered on it. The other said “House.”

“He was always doing what he could to make others laugh,” he said. “He brought joy to all of us when he was around.”

He also is survived by his mother, Ruth.

Army Spc. Orlando A. Perez
Orlando A. Perez’s wife said he never had a sad look on his face. “If things were going bad, he always made the other person feel better,” said April Perez.

Perez, 23, of Houston, was killed Feb. 24 in Baghdad of wounds from small-arms fire. He graduated high school in 2003 and was assigned to Vilseck, Germany.

Perez used rest and recuperation leave from Iraq to spend a week with his mother, Nicolasa Arevalo, in New York and a week with his wife in Texas.
“Tony never let April forget his perpetual love for her,” he said.

During his time in the Army, Perez, whose parents emigrated from El Salvador, was able to travel around Europe with his wife, his high school sweetheart.

“I’m glad he got a couple of years to travel,” April Perez said. “He got to see Seattle and Germany, Italy and Eng-land. He wanted to travel, and the Army allowed him to do that.”

The couple planned to start a family and have a large Catholic wedding upon his return to Houston. He also planned to continue his education, having already attended the University of Houston-Downtown for two years.

Army Spc. Micheal E. Phillips
Micheal E. Phillips’ knack for drawing and love of history could’ve landed him in college, but he told his parents he wanted to be G.I. Joe when he grew up.

“He was one of those kids you never doubted would succeed,” said Jake Falvey, a former teacher. “He had a great smile, and he was proud of the fact that he joined the U.S. Army. That’s what he wanted to do.”

Phillips, 19, of Ardmore, Okla., was killed Feb. 24 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2006 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell.
Phillips was an astute student who loved history and ran track and cross country. He excelled at drawing and had been offered admission to the San Francisco Art Institute.

But serving his country meant more. “He came home one day and said he wanted to join the Army, and we got in the car and went down to the recruiting station,” said his mother, Angelia. “He said terrorism was like a virus. It had to be stopped. It had to be contained.”

He also is survived by his father, Steve.

His mother said her son was re-enlisting. “He didn’t want to leave his squad, his guys,” she said.

Army Capt. Nathan R. Raudenbush
Above everything else, Nathan R. Raudenbush was devoted to his large extended family, his father said.

“He was the one always calling everyone to get together,” said Brian Raudenbush. “He was the one who held us together. It was amazing to see in a young man.”

Raudenbush, 25, of Port Wentworth, Pa., was killed Feb. 20 by a roadside bomb in Busayefi. He graduated from Widener University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2005 and was assigned to Fort Stewart.

“He was a brilliant kid and a really good guy,” said his uncle, Kevin Raudenbush. “Even as a teenager you could always count on him to baby-sit or to do anything. His mom always said she wished she had 10 more kids like him.”

Nathan joined ROTC at Widener University during his freshman year, 2001. “He went to school in August 2001 and then Sept. 11 hit and that solidified in his mind that he wanted to do something” to serve his country, said his father.

He is survived by his wife, Casey, and their 20-month-old son, Jackson.

“He could make people smile and laugh no matter what the situation was,” said his father.

Army Spc. Luke S. Runyan
Luke S. Runyan was an avid hunter and enjoyed riding his motorcycle, said his father, Marc Runyan. “He liked to go fast,” he said. “He liked to have his hair on fire.”

Runyan, 21, of Spring Grove, Pa., was killed Feb. 17 in Diyala province by small-arms fire. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis.

Christopher Runyan said his brother had seen members of his unit die, including a close friend who was killed by a sniper. “He wanted to be there with his other ‘family,’ his buddies,” he said.

Hairline fractures in his legs sidelined his Ranger training, although he hoped to get back into it eventually. He won a marksmanship award and excelled in a medic course.

Runyan told a story about saving an Iraqi child’s life. It was a boy who’d been hit by a stray bullet. Runyan insisted on pulling the boy out of the line of fire and bandaging him.

He is survived by his wife, Courtney, and a daughter, Brynn, 1.

“Luke was very outgoing and very friendly, but he was also a hard-willed individual,” Christopher Runyan said. “When he wanted to do something, he did it. You couldn’t hold Luke down.”

Army 1st Lt. David E. Schultz
David E. Schultz was featured in a November 2007 news story for his work collecting school materials and soc-cer balls for Iraqi children.

“Seeing the smiles on Iraqi children’s faces when you bring them the school supplies they need is one of the greatest things I have experienced over here,” he said in an e-mail at the time.

Schultz, 25, of Blue Island, Ill., was killed Jan. 31 by a bomb blast in Baghdad. He was a 2005 graduate of Northern Illinois University and was assigned to Fort Riley

“He started out as this shy, quiet little boy and blossomed into a wonderful, caring young man,” said his mother, Marjorie. “He made us so proud. Every time we turned around, he was getting another award.”

In college he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and ROTC. He was considered a hard worker on the football field and wrestling mat in high school.

He loved snakes, telling a teacher once that he wanted to bring his pet snake to class because “history is my snake’s favorite subject.”

“He was very friendly and would help anybody out,” said Brittany Sidler, a classmate. “He was always funny.”

He is survived by his wife, Sabrina, and son, Logan.

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