Army Sgt. Ryan C. Adams

Ryan C. Adams celebrated life, whether he was enjoying the outdoors by hunting and fishing or volunteering with Angels on My Shoulder, a nonprofit cancer support group dear to his heart. He had an infectious sense of compassion, his family said.

Adams joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard shortly after graduating in 2001 from Rhinelander High School, in Rhinelander, Wis., where he was a quarterback on the football team and played baseball and golf. Staff at the school remembered him as a respectful, hard-working student who made time for others, and those qualities stuck in his military life.

"He was where he wanted to be, doing what he wanted to do," his parents, Peter and Jalane, said in a statement. "He did it with pride and honor."

Adams, 26, died Oct. 2 in Logar province of wounds from an attack involving rocket-propelled grenades. He had previously served in Iraq.

"He was very proud to serve his country," said his uncle, Patrick Adams. "He was incredibly proud to be a soldier, and he loved doing what he did."

Survivors include his sister, Amanda, and dozens of aunts, uncles and cousins.

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Marine Lance Cpl. David R. Baker

Growing up just off Lake Erie in northeast Ohio, David Baker was quiet and more comfortable in the background.

That changed after he joined the Marines. While serving in Afghanistan, he took on the job of leading patrols, searching out hidden explosives and other dangers to protect his fellow Marines behind him.

"You could just see the transformation of his personality from being a shy boy into a young man because of his tour of duty in the Marines," said his uncle Jim Baker.

Baker, 22, of Painesville, Ohio, died Oct. 20 while on patrol in Helmand province. He was based at Camp Pendleton.

Baker joined the Marines shortly after graduating in 2006 from Riverside High School in Painesville, Ohio.

"From the beginning, Dave's goal was to be a Marine," Riverside computer and math teacher Sally Vaidean wrote on the school's Web site. "His work always reflected this - from his use of the Marine Emblem to the words of the Marine hymn."

Friends and relatives say Baker was smart, witty and enjoyed country music.

Survivors include his parents, Laurie Lewkowski and Mark Baker.

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Army Pfc. Brian R. Bates

As Brian Bates' grandmother tells it, the boy she had raised since age 4 had a hard life and grew up fast: He was already a father age 17.

"A lot of young men might have walked away, but he took full responsibility, and he was by their side as best he could be," said the grandmother, Marline Tully.

Bates had two children, 2-year-old Brylie and 1-year-old Braiden.

"He was a great guy, a great husband and a great dad. His kids were Daddy's boy and Daddy's girl," said Bates' wife, Enjolie. The couple would have celebrated their first anniversary in November.

Bates, 20, was killed Oct. 27 when the Stryker armored vehicle he was driving hit a roadside bomb. He joined the military in November 2008. He was assigned to Fort Lewis and was on his first overseas deployment.

Tully said she often told her grandson to watch his feet over there, but he always kept it lighthearted on phone calls and assured her he was safe.

"He said, 'Now listen, I'm calling to check and let you know I'm breathing,'" Tully recalled Bates telling her in their last phone conversation. "'But if I don't call, I'm still breathing. And even if the Army comes to your house, there's a possibility I could still be breathing.'"

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Army Staff Sgt. Keith R. Bishop

Keith Bishop was pretty sure he wanted to join the military, but after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, there was no doubt.

He joined the Army two years later, and became a special forces Green Beret last year.

"They only take a small group into training, and not everyone makes it, but he did," Robert Bishop said of his son.

Keith Bishop, 28, was among 10 Americans who died Oct. 26 when the helicopter he was in crashed in Darreh-Ye Bum. He was assigned to Fort Bragg.