Scott M Tyrrell

Even before Scott Matthew Tyrrell's first day of boot camp, family members could see he believed his decision to join the Army was the right one. He "really felt like he found his niche when he enlisted in the Army," said his aunt, Mary Beth Mitchell, of Elgin, Ill. "After he decided to enlist, we saw such a transformation in him." Arnold Tyrrell, of Polo, Ill., said that before his son enlisted the boy would blow off his schoolwork. After he decided to enlist, "all of a sudden he buckled down, did what was necessary." "It just seemed like he needed something to focus on," the elder Tyrrell said. Pvt. Tyrrell, 21, of Sterling, Ill., was mortally wounded Nov. 14 in Tikrit, Iraq, while operating an armored earth mover, his father...