After Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood, 25, of Pflugerville, Texas, was killed in action in Anbar province in Iraq in November 2004, his friend, Spc. Yari Mokri, also of Pflugerville, expressed his sorrow on the Fallen Heroes Memorial — an online tribute to GIs who have died in the war.

"I miss you Byron," Mokri wrote. "Sometimes it seems like I see you in a crowd, and I want to call out to you. It's such a helpless feeling. I think about you every day and I won't ever forget; and I won't let others forget."

On Wednesday, Mokri, 26, and four other Schofield Barracks soldiers were killed when a roadside explosive ripped apart their Humvee in the Sunni Arab city of Hawijah, south of Kirkuk.

In that instant, the five soldiers became the 25th Infantry Division's largest single combat loss since the Vietnam War.

The Defense Department yesterday officially released the identities of all five soldiers. However, the names and details of three — Sgt. Joshua B. Madden, 21, of Sibley, La.; Cpl. Jason I. Huffman, 23, of Conover , N.C.; and Sgt. J.J. Castro, 22, of Guam — had previously been released by their families.

Castro, who listed Chalan Pago, American Samoa, as his hometown, leaves a wife and 2-week-old son in Guam.

Identified for the first time along with Mokri was Pfc. Travis Krege, 24, of Cheektowaga, N.Y. Krege, an infantryman who joined the Army in August of 2005, was assigned to Schofield Barracks four months later.

Like Mokri's kin, Krege's family was too grief-stricken to comment yesterday. Still, Krege's father, Michael Krege, 57, wanted people to know his son was dedicated both to his duty and to his buddies, a family spokesman said.

Mokri, a counterintelligence agent, was a 2005 graduate of Texas State University with a bachelor's of science in criminal justice. He joined the Army in June 2005 and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in December 2005.

He had told his mom the experience of being in Iraq had given him a greater appreciation for his home and family in Texas.

Janet Norwood, mother of Byron Norwood, remembered Mokri yesterday as a "wonderful young man" with a personality to match his smile.

Mokri was amused by e-mails from his Marine friend, who invariably ended with you "Ain't Ready to be Marine Yet" — A.R.M.Y.

"Yari and our son, Byron, were close friends — as are their younger sisters," said Janet Norwood. "We lost Byron in Iraq a little over two years ago, which makes this new loss extremely hard to believe.

"It seems that lightning has struck twice in the same place in our little town. We love the Mokri family and hope to be as supportive of them at this time as they have been to us for the past two years."

Castro, Huffman, Madden and Krege were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Wolf-hounds. Mokri was with the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 25th Infantry Division.

John Eiting, owner of Wahiawa's Top Hat Bar, which has been serving Schofield soldiers for more than 60 years, said the mood there last week has been quiet and serious.

"When something like this happens, the guys will come in and drink a cheer to their colleagues," Eiting said. "They're not exactly moping, because they have a job to do, but you can see it on their faces."

Eiting said that many of his military customers, like those who died last week, are young, which makes the recent losses all the more heartbreaking.

"My golly, you see their faces, so young and happy when they come in," he said. "But when something happens, they know that it could have been them, too. I feel sorry for them, knowing it's the sad price we have to pay for freedom."