Army Spc. Donald L. Wheeler

Died October 13, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22 of Concord, Mich.; assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Oct. 13 when his unit came under attack from a rocket-propelled grenade while searching for an improvised explosive device in Tikrit, Iraq.

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Spc. Donald Laverne Wheeler was affectionately known as "DJ" to his family, which included three sisters and eight brothers. In the military, he picked up the nickname "Sunshine." "They called him Sunshine at Fort Hood in Texas because he was so tall he stood out from everyone else and he was always smiling," said one of his sisters, Andrea Barrett. Wheeler, 22, of Concord, Mich., died Oct. 13 in an attack in Tikrit. His mother, Mary Cay Wheeler, said he decided to enlist after the Sept. 11 attacks. He loved the Army but at the same time he missed his family, she said. They had a photo of Wheeler blown up to near life size and brought it to his sister's wedding reception because he couldn't attend. "I shall always remember him, a big kid who gave everything he had on that dusty day," said Lt. Jason Price at a memorial service in Tikrit. "It's difficult to say goodbye."