Spc. William J. Crouch

William J. Crouch got his desire to serve from his father, a policeman who died of natural causes when Crouch was 13. His father, James Crouch, had wanted to serve in the military but never got the opportunity. The younger Crouch broke the news that he had decided to join the Army when his mother and stepfather returned from a skiing trip during his senior year in high school. "It''s something he just had in his blood to do," said James Rushing, Crouch''s stepfather. Crouch, 21, Zachary, La., was killed by a roadside bomb June 2 in Hadid. He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis. A movie buff, Crouch loved science fiction, kickboxing, pizza and hanging out with his friends. He was disappointed that his younger brother saw combat in Iraq before he did. His mother, Kathy Rushing, went with her husband to spend a week with Crouch at Fort Lewis before he left for Iraq in April 9. They toured Seattle, went to the top of the Space Needle and spent hours at a science fiction museum. Those are the memories she said she cherishes. "Needless to say," she said, "it was priceless."