Sgt. Daniel M. Shepherd , 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Division, Aug. 15, 2004

Daniel Michael Shepherd never got to gaze into the face of his son, but his family says they see Shepherd gazing out from the infant's features.

Shepherd , 23, of Elyria, Ohio, died Aug. 15, 2004, when his vehicle hit a homemade bomb in Ar Ramabi, Iraq. He joined the service after graduating from high school in 2000 and had been stationed at Fort Riley. Shepherd played center and tight end in high school and used to give Jo Ellen Horn's son rides to football practice during the summer.

"He seemed like he knew what he wanted to do from the get-go," Horn said. "He said he wanted to be in the military and then when he got out, he wanted to become a cop."

Shepherd 's son, Daniel , was born on St. Patrick's Day and is the spitting image of his father, Horn said.

Shepherd met his wife, Kassie, in high school, said Kathy Banyasz, the mother of another former teammate.

"She missed him terribly," Banyasz said, "and couldn't wait for him to come home." His unit was due to return less than a month after he was killed.

A few months later, the Amvets career center in Elyria was dedicated in his name. Mrs. Shepherd and Danny, then 14 months old, attended the ceremony.