Growing up as a toddler with his family in Germany, Robert Marshall shared some of the best memories he had of his father: building snowmen, sledding down hills and peeking in on his parents while they wrapped Christmas gifts.

"I'm very blessed to have known him and have him as a father," said Robert Marshall, 28, who lives in Los Angeles.

Robert is the second-oldest of six siblings whose father, John W. Marshall, was killed in Iraq on April 8, 2003. The 50-year-old Army sergeant also left behind four stepchildren from his wife Denise Marshall, along with four grandchildren.

The fallen soldier enlisted in the Army when he was 18 and his mother, Odessa Marshall, attributes his enlistment to his adventurous spirit as a child.

"He was a rambunctious child," said Odessa Marshall. And as a military man she said, "He was very proud of the army."

During some of the infrequent conversations he had with his two older sons, Robert and John Marshall, the career-driven soldier would often try to encourage them to enlist in the military, but they both decided against it.

"It wasn't the place for me," said Robert. "He finally got the military son he wanted in Christopher," referring to his stepbrother.

Notice of Marshall's death came as a huge blow to his family, but his stepchildren were especially devastated, according to Denise, who lives in Hinesville, Ga.

"They were raised by him ... they didn't know anything else," she said.

The last Christmas that Denise and her children spent with Marshall was in 2001. Marshall had put up lots of lights and decorations for the kids and they ate Christmas dinner together as a family.

Denise tries to emulate her husband's decorating skills and is often reminded by her children that it's not the same. "I have to remind them that I am only one person," she said.

Today, Denise's youngest daughter Jennifer, 14, has bad dreams and will wake up needing a hug. Her 16-year-old son, Richard, suffers from a sleep disorder and has asked his mother questions like, "Did dad love his soldiers more than he loved us?"