Sgt. Jesse Castro had a 2-week-old son in Guam who shared his name, Jesse Castro Jr.

Spc. Jason Huffman was three weeks into his second tour of Iraq.

The two Schofield Barracks soldiers, both 22, had their lives cut short by a powerful roadside bomb in Iraq on Wednesday.

The blast killed all five men in a Humvee in the restive city of Hawija, about 30 miles southwest of Kirkuk where the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Wolf-hounds patrol.

Sgt. Joshua Madden, 21, was previously identified by his father as having died in the explosion, which he said tore the vehicle apart.

It was the single greatest combat loss for the 25th Infantry Division since the Vietnam War and catapulted the number killed on a relatively new deployment from nine to 14.

The Pentagon had not released any names as of yesterday evening, but families, hoping that others would recognize the supreme sacrifice being made in service to country, were sharing some of the details.

Castro's wife, Theresa, told the Pacific Daily News that her husband, who was last on Guam in May, gave her a call on Tuesday.

"He was just an all-around kind of guy," she said. "He didn't have any enemies, just very respectful, respected by everybody, loved by everyone."

Jesse Castro had been a mixed martial arts contestant on Guam.

"He was really happy to defend his country," fight promoter Roman Dela Cruz told the Pacific Daily News. "A lot of the core group of the guys always thought that Jess had potential in mixed martial arts. It's really unfortunate that this had to happen to him."

Huffman, of Conover, N.C., joined the Army in 2003, served his first tour in Iraq in 2003-04, re-enlisted, and was based in Korea before going back to Iraq, his family told the Hickory (N.C.) Daily Record.

"He knew he was up for a challenge," Gary Huffman, his father, told the newspaper. "He told me, 'Dad, you should see those people. They need us there.' "

While officials are weighing course corrections in Iraq, Gary Huffman said the U.S. should keep fighting.

"We can't leave," he said. "Didn't we do that already?"

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, said his thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the soldiers who were killed.

"I pray, too, for all our men and women who are serving our country to promote democracy and peace. It is my hope that a change of course in Iraq will occur in the near future. Our soldiers deserve no less," Akaka said in a statement.

In a Tuesday letter to Wolfhound family members back home, a day before the roadside bomb attack, Lt. Col. Drew Meyerowich, the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry commander, said "now that Thanksgiving is over, we find ourselves in the middle of the holiday season with mixed emotions of mission, loneliness and sacrifice."

He also spoke to the roadside bombs that soldiers often encounter:

"We don't just patrol looking for IEDs (improvised explosive devices); we hunt down everyone that was responsible for emplacing a bomb that indiscriminately kills women, children and soldiers alike. Wolf-hounds don't do anything small, and every day our soldiers are doing their mission with intense ruthlessness or compassion — whatever it takes."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.