Last year I picked a handful of fallen soldiers at random and listed them here, along with a brief bio.  I’ve decided to do the same this year.  I didn’t know any of the following soldiers.  They simply stood out to me as I ran through a sickening and long list of casualties.  On this Memorial Day, I honor the sacrifice of each and every life for the sake of our freedom.  I pray for comfort and peace for the families, friends and loved ones of the following men and women:

Army Sgt. 1st Class Bryan E. Hall

Hall, 32, of Elk Grove, Calif., died April 10 when his vehicle was struck by an explosive in Mosul. He is survived by his wife, Rachel, and 2-year-old daughter Addison. 

Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte

  19, of Richmond, Va.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany; died April 2, 2006, from wounds sustained when his dismounted patrol came under enemy small arms fire during combat operations in Hit, Iraq.

25, of St. Louis; assigned to the Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; died May 20, 2009, near Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.

 Army Pfc. Jeremy W. Ehle

Army Pfc. Joseph R. Berlin Jr.

21, of Chelsea, Ala.; assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Dec. 30, 2007, in Baghdad of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident.

Navy Culinary Specialist 1st Class Regina R. Clark

43, of Centralia, Wash.; deployed with Naval Construction Region Detachment 30, 2005, Naval Reserve, Port Hueneme, Calif.; temporarily assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed June 23 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near her convoy vehicle in Fallujah, Iraq.