Staff Sergeant Lillian Clamens, 35, of Lawton, Okla., was assigned to the 1st Postal Platoon, 834th Adjutant General Company. She died October 10, 2007, when insurgents fired rockets on Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq – one week before she was to return home.

SSG Clamens graduated from Central High School in 1990, and quickly enlisted in the Army Reserves, but then decided she wanted to serve active duty. She eventually returned to the Army Reserves, working as a full-time postal worker and administrative clerk for her unit, where she helped soldiers by making sure their transitions from the United States to Iraq, and home again, went smoothly. She served for over 17 years and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

“Because she died when I was very young, most of my memories are blurry now, but she was known to be kindhearted, funny, bright, and always smiling,” said her daughter. “She had a very endearing personality and was a mother that could never be replaced. She handled three kids all on her own at times when my dad was deployed elsewhere.”

SSG Clamens is survived by her husband, Raymond, daughters, Lana and Victoria, and son Ayinde.