When Elayne Willis first saw Army Spc. Jeremiah D. Costello walk into her high school classroom, his hair almost threw her off.

�He was my first student to have colored hair. It was either green or blue all the time,� the English teacher recalled. �I thought, �Oh, my!� � But she quickly understood the kind heart that lay beneath the seemingly outlandish appearance. �He was the nicest boy, and he always had a smile,� she said.

Costello, 22, of Carlinville, Ill., was killed June 2 near Qayyarah, Iraq, when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Bliss, Texas.

Willis described Costello as a �special boy� who was always polite in class. �He...