Lt. Eric Allen Cranford, 32, received his commission from the Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of North Carolina in 1992 and went straight to naval aviation school after graduation.

He trained as a helicopter aviator in Texas and Florida, then joined a helicopter anti-submarine squadron in March 1995. His first sea assignment was on the cruiser Gettysburg in April 1996, followed by tours on the McInerney and Carr, both guided missile frigates. He joined the staff of the chief of naval operations in April 1999.

The Navy lists his home as Drexel, N.C., although he lived in Falls Church before his death.

Source: The Washington Post, AP and washingtonpost.com

The profiles in this feature were written in the months following Sept. 11, 2001.