Sean R Mitchell

At 6-foot-4, Sean Mitchell was known to friends as "the gentle giant," a natural athlete who also volunteered at a local nursing home. "He just loved old people," said his mother, Danielle Mitchell. Mitchell, 24, of Youngsville, Pa., died March 31 when a bomb exploded near his armored personnel carrier in Habbaniyah, just outside of Fallujah, Iraq. He was based at Fort Riley, Kan. After graduating from high school, Mitchell was a regular sight at his alma mater, where he helped coach the track team. He also received an associate's degree in business and computers but wasn't able to find a job, so he enlisted. The Army was a good way to support him and the family he planned with his wife Denise. "I can't say what prompted him to...