BAGHDAD, Iraq -- For U.S. soldiers in Iraq, Memorial Day won't mean backyards, picnic tables and grilled hot dogs. It will be another 24 hours spent on foot patrol, guard duty or reconstruction projects.

But the memorial part will be there.

American troops -- many of them young, many new to such seriousness -- say memories of fallen comrades will linger, and a holiday that once meant the beginning of summer has taken on new significance.

"In the past, I never thought about why Memorial Day was celebrated. And now, when I know someone who died and what it means, in the future I'll be thinking of my buddies," said Sgt. Jeremy Smith, a 22-year-old from Reno, Nev., who is a driver in the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade.

The war in Iraq has produced tens of thousands of new combat veterans, and many will remember their 136 fallen comrades while at the same time feeling thankful for their own survival.

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Today, the survivors speak of their lost colleagues with a reverence that seems to age their young faces.

"When you are at war you have a mission, and everyone is a piece of the puzzle. And when you lose a piece of the puzzle, everything shifts," said Spc. Joseph Lynes, 23, of Saint Marys, Ga.

All the soldiers said losing a friend in combat is different from losing a loved one in an accident or to disease or old age.

"It is more acceptable in war. At least you died for something, fighting for our country," Sgt. Larry Pennington of Adamsville, Tenn., said. "In combat, you died because you were doing something."

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