Military deaths

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Remembering California’s war dead

“This kid was amazing! I remember meeting him; it was at the Bad Manners show in Seattle and he was sitting on the corner of the stage. After that night, it was like me and my husband would drive down to Ft. Lewis and pick him up every weekend. He was always the life of the party, making everyone laugh, smile; he was really close to me and my husband, and he will be missed greatly. I can’t put into words really how much Spaz meant to me. I miss him.”

-- Cynthia,

posted Friday on Army Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, above left, who was one of two soldiers killed Monday when a roadside bomb exploded near their unit in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan

“I remember Dennis from elementary school and middle school. He was always an outstanding person and a good friend. His service to my country will always be remembered, and he will always be missed.”

-- Jeffrey Brown,

posted Tuesday on Army National Guard Spc. Dennis L. Sellen Jr., 20, of Newhall, who was killed Feb. 11, 2007, when a fellow soldier accidentally shot him while cleaning his gun after a mission in Umm al Qasr, Iraq, near the Kuwaiti border

Do you have a memory to share about one of California’s more than 550 fallen troops? Post your remembrances at latimes.com/wardead. The Times’ database of Californians killed in Afghanistan and Iraq allows you to search by name, high school, hometown and more, as well as read hundreds of obituaries and view links to personal websites and other news reports.