Sgt. David Rice , 1st battalion, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry, April 26, 2005

David Rice cut his education plans short to join the Army. Then he returned to school, this time to talk to kids about the Army.

"He was a sweet kid," recalled Pete Hittle, a teacher at Sioux City East High School in Sioux City, Iowa, where Rice graduated in 2001. A high school football player and wrestler, Rice had planned to attend community college and study welding. But he put those plans on hold to join up. His mother Laurinda Finken taught at a middle school in Sioux City, and during a visit home he went there to talk about life as a soldier.

"He said he was doing his job," remarked Clarice Sturgis, a fellow teacher.

The school's students sent him a package prior to Christmas.

Rice , who was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, died April 25, 2005, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle northeast of Baghdad. He was 22. It wasn't clear whether he died as a result of the grenade or due to injuries sustained in the resulting crash. He was a fire support specialist.