Sgt. Jonathan Coffey

For mothers in Washington state whose sons are killed in Iraq, Sgt. Jonathan Coffey is there long after the last note of "Taps" sounds.

Coffey, a supply admin clerk at 4th Landing Support Battalion in Tacoma, Wash., has made it his "mission in life" to keep the memories of their sons alive, he said. Off duty, he participates in color guards and funeral details.

Coffey even bought a set of dress blues for a lance corporal who was injured in Iraq and helped get him recognized at a Seattle Mariners game.

Coffey also works with Michael Reagan, an artist who draws portraits of service members killed in the war on terrorism and donates them to the families. The Marine sometimes wishes he had more time to himself, but "taking care of others means more" than days off, he said.