US troops killed in Afghanistan and Africa

Chris N. Staats was "a man's man," according to fellow soldiers.

"It's true," said his wife, Monteigne. "They were saying he really was the glue that held them together, and was pushing for a lot of things to help the people in Afghanistan."

Staats, who earned a degree in renewable natural resources from Texas A&M in 2002, was sent to Afghanistan with a small team to help people there be more self-sufficient, his wife said.

"I'm so proud of Chris for his hard work, his dedication, his service and belief in helping others," she said.

The 32-year-old native of Fredericksburg, Texas, was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Wardak province on Oct. 16, about a month before he was scheduled to return home. The Texas National Guardsman was assigned to Camp Mabry and had previously deployed on a peacekeeping mission to Kosovo.

After graduating from Fredericksburg High School in 1996, he joined the Guard, following after his father, Bobby, and brother, Garrett. He worked for Halff Associates, a San Antonio engineering and professional services firm.

Staats is also survived by his mother and stepfather, Lorna and Gary Eckhardt, and a sister, Jennifer.

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Army Spc. Jared D. Stanker

Jared D. Stanker grew up fascinated by the military and would spend hours glued to the television, watching war movies.

"All that kid did when he was little was watch 'Kelly's Heroes' over and over and over, and that's a four-hour movie," his mother, Susan, said.

Stanker enlisted at 18, while his mother was out of town, and soon graduated in 2006 from Brother Rice High School in his hometown of Evergreen Park, a Chicago suburb. When he deployed for the first time in July, he tried to ease his mother's fears and told her not to bother reading the papers or focusing on the news.

"This is what he wanted to do," she said. "He believed in what he was doing."

His family sent a box of goodies to mark his 22nd birthday in mid-October. Two weeks later, on Oct. 27, Stanker was killed by an explosive in Arghandab Valley. He was assigned to Fort Lewis.

Friends writing notes on several online message boards after his death recalled Stanker as a dedicated guy with a big heart.

Susan Stanker said her son hoped to someday marry his girlfriend, Abbey.

He also is survived by his father, Kevin, and older sister, Jordan.

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Marine Lance Cpl. Cody R. Stanley

Cody R. Stanley was a country boy through and through, raised on a ranch in Rosanky, Texas, with a passion for the outdoors that was shared by his teachers and classmates.

"We all did a bunch of hunting and fishing, so we'd get through the lessons as fast as we could on Monday mornings so we could exchange hunting and fishing stories," said Tony Quitta, an English teacher at Smithville High School, where Stanley graduated in 2006. Stanley had decided as a senior to join the Marine Corps and left for boot camp later that year.

"He had no qualms about who he was and what he was doing, and he truly believed in what he did," Quitta said, adding that Stanley was "an honorable kid" who was hardworking and polite.

The 21-year-old died Oct. 28 in Helmand province of wounds from an explosive. He was assigned to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., and had been deployed to Iraq last year.

His family said Stanley enjoyed "all the things country boys love to do" - among them, riding four-wheelers, drinking beer, chasing girls and spending time with family.

His survivors include his parents, Bob and Wendi, and a brother, Cade.

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Army Spc. Brandon K. Steffey

Brandon K. Steffey was known as "The Big Teddy Bear" because of his smile and the comforting hugs he doled out - all 6-foot-3, 200-plus pounds of him.

"Brandon was a very kind and considerate person," said John Sherry, a principal at Sault Area High School in Steffey's hometown of Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. "A gentle giant with a very good sense of humor."

Sherry said Steffey played football at his school and then transferred to play baseball at Brimley High School, where he graduated in 2005.

A friend, Timothy Shaw, remembered Steffey as polite and honest, with the exception of one time when he pulled off a win in a cribbage game by pegging extra points during temporary power outages on a stormy night in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Steffey's uncle, Jim Worsham, said Steffey's decision to join the Army followed a family tradition of military service.

The 23-year-old was killed Oct. 25 in Laghman province by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to a military police detachment out of Fort Hood.

"He was so proud of what he was doing during his deployment," his wife, Andrea, said, adding that he also was a doting father to his young daughter.

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Army Staff Sgt. Glen H. Stivison Jr.

With 13 years of service, Army Staff Sgt. Glen Stivison Jr. believed in mentoring and protecting younger soldiers.

Keeping them safe was his top priority when they went on missions to clear roadside bombs. Back in Fort Collins, Colo., he was known to whip up a batch of his famous chili for them.

"He was a man of character, one of the finest heroes I've ever had the honor of serving with," said Capt. Heath Papkov.

Stivison, 34, died Oct. 15 when his vehicle was bombed in Kandahar province. Stivison grew up in Blairsville, Pa., and was a 1994 graduate of Blairsville High School, where he played on the football and wrestling teams. He was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and enjoyed the outdoors.

But most of all, he loved his family - his wife, Eryn, and their children, William Blaze, 8, and Andrew Wyatt, 6. He showered his kids with attention whenever he was home on leave, said his mother, Jan Stivison.

"He went to school and ate lunch with them, and he went to their after-school activities," she said. "He took them to track practice and ran along with them."

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Army Pfc. Brandon M. Styer

There were many things dear to Brandon Styer: his nieces, nephew and other family members, his restored Mazda RX-8 and the Philadelphia Phillies.

But also high on his list was the U.S. Army.

Styler, also known as B-Sty, enlisted before graduating last year from Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pa. Less than a year later he was in Iraq, then Afghanistan, where his job was to find and remove roadside bombs.

"He was not scared. He never talked negative about the experience. He loved it," said his sister, Tracy Bowling.

Styer, 19, died Oct. 15 in Kandahar province when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Carson.

Styer knew his family and friends worried about him. Just before his deployment he set up a Facebook page, "Brandon Styer is going to Iraq," for them to keep in touch with him. He said in an early post, "ill be home in 1 piece."

His survivors include his mother, Jill M. Myers, and father, Terry Styer.

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Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Taylor

Aaron J. Taylor was the type to dive into an interest headfirst, and that's what he did with the Marines.

"He had spontaneous wit and was a very caring individual," said his father, Clifford. "Very intelligent. His goal was to be promoted to gunnery sergeant before his third enlistment. I think he would have made it. It's tough to do."

Taylor, 27, of Bovey, Minn., was killed Oct. 9 by an explosive while on patrol in Helmand province. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton and had previously served in Iraq.

He graduated in 2000 from Greenway High School in Coleraine, Minn., where he played trumpet in a band, wrestled and was a manager for the hockey team. He studied law enforcement at Hibbing Community College before joining the Marines in 2002.

His military work sent him globe-trotting from Spain to Japan and even Vietnam, where he assisted anthropologists recovering soldiers' remains.

"He was just a likable, personable guy. Everyone who knew him just loved him," his father said. "If the Taliban had met him, I'm sure they would have liked him."

Taylor's survivors include his mother; stepfather; brother; half-sister; and his dog, Walnut.

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Army Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson

Once, Kevin Thomson tried to convince a friend that "Ghostbusters" was the best movie in the world.

Another time, he scared his friends "half to death" with a werewolf mask. He was quick to make friends and an occasional prankster.

"All I have are good memories and every single one of them makes me smile," said friend Chris Rabe. "I've never been more proud of anybody in my life. I'm gonna miss him a lot."

Thomson, 22, was one of eight soldiers killed by insurgents Oct. 3 in Kamdesh. His unit had been deployed in Afghanistan for about six months. He was based at Fort Carson.

Thomson was born in California and grew up in Reno, Nev. He attended Wooster High School and the Academy for Career Education. He earned his GED before enlisting in the Army in April 2008.

He is survived by his mother, Deborah Rouston, and father, Douglas Thomson.

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Marine Capt. Kyle R. Van De Giesen

After leading his high school football team to a championship his senior year, Kyle Van De Giesen was recruited to St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

There, he was quarterback of the school's first varsity football team in decades. He also excelled there, but shocked teammates when announced he was leaving the team.

Van De Giesen shifted his priorities to his criminal justice degree and his longtime dream of becoming a Marine pilot. Again, he succeeded.

But on Oct. 26, Van De Giesen was killed when two helicopters collided over Helmand province. Van De Giesen, from North Attleboro, Mass., was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

College teammate Mark Qualter remembers when Van De Giesen said he was quitting the team.

"I was disappointed to lose a great teammate, but I knew it was for reasons bigger than the game of football," he wrote in an online message board. "I always admired that about Kyle, reaching for his dreams as a very young man."

Van De Giesen, 29, was a 1998 graduate of North Attleboro High School and a 2002 graduate of St. Anselm. He and his wife, Megan, have a daughter, Avery. Their second child is expected this month.

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Army Pfc. Christopher I. Walz

Christopher "Ian" Walz had a newspaper route when he was 14. After that, he worked at KFC and a WinCo grocery store, but he had his sights set on becoming a history teacher or police officer.

"He went into the military for that," said Richard Sharp, who taught Walz in high school. "He epitomized what can happen if you put your mind to it."

Walz, 25, died Oct. 27 in Arghandab Valley of wounds suffered when his vehicle was attacked. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, north of his hometown of Vancouver, Wash.

On his MySpace page, Walz wrote that another reason he joined the Army was because he wanted to serve his country - "plus my 21,000 bonus and 40,000 for school doesn't hurt either, lol."

Walz graduated from Hudson's Bay High School in 2002 and earned an associate degree from Clark College in Vancouver.

"He could recall historical facts at the drop of a hat," said Katrina Walz, the late soldier's ex-wife. She was listed as the next of kin and remained close with him, she said.

Last month, she and Walz's mother, Victoria Walz, and aunt Donna Walz traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the ceremonial transfer of the body. The family was one of 18 that met with President Barack Obama during the early morning ceremony.

"He would have been really proud," Katrina Walz said. "He really liked Obama."

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Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook

Like his older brother, 41-year-old Kenneth Westbrook was an athlete and soldier who was proud of his Navajo heritage.

Then on Oct. 7 - four years and six days after his older brother was killed during combat in Iraq - Kenneth Westbrook, of Shiprock, N.M., died. He was being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for wounds suffered during a Sept. 8 attack in Ganjgal Valley.

An instructor who trained Afghanistan border police, Westbrook was about two months from retiring.

"The family's sad, of course," said David Westbrook, the late soldiers' brother. "We're leaning on our faith quite a bit. We're just putting our faith in God, and that's helping us through this."

Army Sgt. Marshall Alan Westbrook was 43 when he died in October 2005 and the first New Mexico National Guard soldier killed during combat in Iraq.

The brothers' father, Marshall Westbrook Sr., served in the Army, and he was based in locations that included Korea and Alaska. Kenneth Westbrook followed in his father's footsteps, enlisting in the Army when was 18.

"He just had to go, just had to do something," his father said.

Kenneth Westbrook was the youngest of five born to Marshall and Ruth Westbrook, of Farmington, N.M., the family said.

He is survived by his parents; wife Charlene; and sons Zachary, 20, Joshua, 18, and Joseph, 14.

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Army Sgt. Patrick O. Williamson

Patrick Williamson was a smart man who had a knack for figuring out how machines operated. He had studied mechanical engineering for two years in college - and he was usually the only one who could start his pickup truck.

His family wrote in his obituary that he was smart and scored high on military aptitude tests, high enough to have his choice of jobs. But he chose infantry because that's where he believed he'd make the biggest difference.

"At the end of the day, he was doing what he wanted," said the soldier's father, Leon "Buddy" Williamson. "He's wanted to join the Army and be in the infantry since fifth grade."

Williamson, 24, of Broussard, La., was killed by a roadside bomb Oct. 27 in Arghandab Valley. He was assigned to Fort Lewis.

Williamson attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before deciding to join the military in 2006.

His family said Williamson enjoyed history and could recall "the most obscure facts and dates with amazing ease." Williamson also loved the outdoors and pulling pranks, his family said.

Williamson also is survived by his mother, Sybil, and a brother and sister.

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Army Sgt. Eduviges G. Wolf

Friends called Eduviges G. Wolf "Duvi" and many - if not all - knew she wanted had wanted to join the military since she was a girl.

Wolf, whose maiden name was Preciado, was the youngest of four sisters. All four immigrated with their parents from Mexico.

"She wanted to do what was right to protect the country and to help people," said Susie Martin, who supervised Wolf when she was a high school student and participated in the Hawthorne, Calif., police department's Explorer program. "She was one of those amazing human beings."

As a Leuzinger High School student, Wolf told Martin that enlisting in the military would provide a way for her to serve the country and provide a path to citizenship.

Wolf, a 24-year-old mother of two, was killed Oct. 25 in Kunar province when insurgents attacked her vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade. She enlisted in the Army in 2003. She was based at Fort Carson.

She is survived by her husband, Josh Wolf, who also was serving in Afghanistan at the time of her death, and two daughters - Valerie, 1, and Isabel 3.