A look at the lives of some of the New York soldiers who died in Iraq during the past year:

ARMY SERGEANT ANGELO LOZADA JR.

The last call from Angelo Lozada was a happy one: He was going to be home in time to surprise his mom for Mother’s Day.

“He told us he was coming home in two weeks. He wanted us to drive down and pick him up,” his sister Angela said.

Lozada, 36, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was killed April 16 in combat in Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Camp Hovey, Korea.

Growing up as one of eight children, Lozada earned a reputation as a practical joker who always looked out for his younger siblings. He joined the reserves after graduating from high school, in part because he wanted to see the world.

“He wanted to travel and he got to. He was gung ho all the way,” his brother Antonio said.

He had three children and a grandchild he never got the chance to meet. His son, Michael, said his father often brought him to the movies and coached his baseball team when he was little.

“He was a sweetheart,” said his brother, the Reverend Augustin Rodriguez. “He cared very much for everyone – he was just a good person.”

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ARMY STAFF SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER DILL

Christopher Dill was a soldier and a firefighter, but he was a hero to his wife in other ways. Before he left for Iraq, he ordered her an early birthday cake so they could celebrate, and he had a dozen roses delivered on the big day.

“He was a firefighter and he was a soldier, but he was my day-to-day, goofy, caring husband, and he was everybody’s best friend,” Dawn Dill said.

Dill, 32, of Tonawanda, N.Y., was killed April 4 by small arms fire while training security forces in Iraq. He was based in Buffalo, N.Y., where he was a firefighter.

Dill joined the Reserves after serving in Desert Storm. A drill sergeant, he could have gone to Missouri to train soldiers, but chose to go to Iraq.

“He told me he wanted to go back and finish what he started so that our future children and everyone else’s children wouldn’t have to go there,” his wife said.

She was consoled by the memory of what he told her on their wedding day, as they rode around in a limousine after the ceremony.

“I’m so happy that if I were to die tomorrow, I’d be the happiest man,” he told her.

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ARMY SPECIALIST DAVID ROUSTUM

When National Guard Specialist David Roustum was called to active duty, his concerned Syrian-born father suggested his son could avoid combat by going to Syria.

But Russ Roustum said his son would have none of it.

“I said, ‘Son, if you don’t want to go to Iraq, go to Syria,'” Russ Roustum said. “He looked at me and said, ‘Dad, I would never even consider it.'”

Roustum, 22, of West Seneca, N.Y., was killed November 20 in a grenade attack. His National Guard unit was based in Tonawanda, N.Y.

Three mothers of soldiers injured in the attack told Roustum’s parents, Russ and Jennifer, that they believe David Roustum saved their sons’ lives.

Russ Roustum said his son was a leader, playing quarterback for his high school football team and captaining the club hockey team the year it went from last place to first.

Roustum followed his older brother, Dan, into the military. He had been months away from finishing an accounting degree at the University at Buffalo when he was sent to Iraq in March.

“David was an outstanding student, athlete, soldier, and human being,” said Robert Farwell, principal at Roustum’s high school.

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AIR FORCE MASTER SERGEANT STEVEN AUCHMAN

Steven Auchman never wanted to be left on the sidelines, whether it was high school athletics, where he never missed a practice for three sports and played even when hurt, or when his nation needed him, when he volunteered to go to Iraq.

“Steve was a dignified kid. He was one who did the most with his natural ability. The things you want people to think of you, that’s what I thought of Steve,” said Don Moretti, who coached Auchman in football and lacrosse.

Auchman, 37, of Waterloo, N.Y., died November 9 during a mortar attack in Mosul. The 19-year Air Force veteran was based at Fort Lewis.

He graduated high school in 1985 and together with his twin brother, John, joined the Air Force. He met his future wife, Jennifer, while she also was serving in the Air Force, which she left in 1989.

“He was just a very special person. We were best friends first before we started dating,” she said. “He had a wonderful sense of humor and always knew how to make me laugh.”

They had been married for more than 16 years.

Auchman also is survived by his sons, Brian, 16, and Eric, 13.

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ARMY SPECIALIST BRIAN BAKER

Brian Baker said he was filled with a warm feeling when he found out that he and his wife were expecting identical twin girls. “I hope they look like him because I need to see him every day,” said Baker’s wife, Amy Roach Baker. “I just wish I could feel that right now. I feel so empty.” Baker, 27, of West Seneca, N.Y., was killed when a bomb exploded in a vehicle near his patrol November 8. He was stationed at Fort Drum.

Baker often told his wife that he wasn’t doing anything dangerous during his deployment. She said he never complained about serving in Iraq.

“The Army is at a loss without him,” his wife said. “He was one of the best.” Friends said Baker planned to make a career of the Army.

“You might say it was his calling,” said Lori Ploetz, a longtime family friend. “He was great at what he did. He was respected by his peers.”

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ARMY SERGEANT MICHAEL UVANNI

The El Chico restaurant in upstate New York had advertised itself as a place to go to escape war news. But tragedy left the eatery adorned in bouquets, cards, candles, and an American flag.

Michael Uvanni, whose father runs the restaurant, was shot dead by a sniper October 1 in Samarra. The 27-year-old, from Rome, N.Y., was based in Morrisonville.

“Pray for our family and pray for those soldiers still over there,” a sign outside El Chico said.

“He was a great guy and a great person. It was very easy to bond with Mike,” said Sergeant Frank Gonyea.

Sergeant Gonyea said Uvanni, a 1996 high school graduate, always had a smile on his face, even when being made to do push-ups, and showed as much enthusiasm for hard military work as he did for the motorcycle or snowmobile he rode in his free time.

“He led by example,” said Sergeant Gonyea. “He wouldn’t make anyone do anything that he wouldn’t do first. That’s how he earned respect.”

He is survived by his parents, Kevin and Janet Uvanni.

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MARINE LANCE CORPORAL RAMON MATEO

Ramon Mateo surprised everyone with a sudden visit from Iraq early this year.

First, he went to his mother’s workplace, stood silently behind her as her colleagues beamed, and savored the expression on her face when she turned around.

Then, in a gleeful succession of lightning-strike visits, he surprised other members of his family. But, after a two-week leave, he was gone, back to Iraq.

Mateo, 20, of Suffolk County, N.Y., died September 24 in Anbar Province. A 2002 high school graduate, he was based at Twenty-nine Palms.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, because he was here only a week ago,” said his sister, Sonia Rivera at the time. “It was almost as if God sent him one more time to say goodbye.”

Mateo’s stepfather, Miguel Rivera, who works at a Huntington car dealership, said Mateo had hoped to use his military training to become a diesel mechanic.

“He wanted to make his family proud, and for his cousins to look up to him,” said his wife, Concetta, whom he married in May 2003.

“He was a baby, only 20 years old,” said his father, Pedro Mateo. “He came home, had a good time, then, bang, that was it.”

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MARINE FIRST LIEUTENANT RONALD WINCHESTER

In 2000, Ronald Winchester played in Navy’s biggest football game of the season, against Army – and his best friend. There were no hard feelings when Navy beat Army 30-28.

“He was like my brother. We had a lot of fun together,” said former Army defensive tackle and pal Doug Larson. “He was independent, but we were both dependent on each other.”

Winchester, 25, of Rockville Center, N.Y., was killed September 3 by a roadside bomb in Anbar Province, Iraq. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 2001 and was on his second tour.

“Ron was a very gregarious type of individual who was always in the middle of things,” said his father, also named Ronald. “He was a true leader, always respected by his peers and dedicated to what he was doing.”

Winchester also is survived by his mother, Marianna.

“When he came home last time, he sat in the dining room telling stories,” family friend Maureen Chiaramonte said. “He said, ‘Aunt Mo, you know what it’s like. You get a choice to sit on the bench or play the game. I don’t want to sit on the bench.'”

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ARMY SERGEANT CARI GASIEWICZ

Cari Gasiewicz planned to spend Christmas in Kuwait before going home early in the new year for a belated celebration with her family.

“The presents were all there but they were going to stay wrapped until she got back,” said her uncle, Marty Gasiewicz.

But the 28-year-old from Cheektowaga, N.Y., died when bombs exploded on the convoy that was transporting her from Iraq to Kuwait on the first leg of her journey home. She was stationed at Fort Gordon.

Gasiewicz’s job was to speak with Iraqis about their feelings on the war and America’s presence in their country. She hoped to work for the FBI or CIA after leaving the military.

“She loved the military, and she loved working as an interpreter,” her uncle said.

She is survived by her parents, Paul and Kathleen.