14 April 2003:

Nathan White had faith — faith in his religion and faith in the military.

In an e-mail White sent to his family while fighting in Iraq, the Navy aviator said he trusted the officers conducting the war and hoped the effort would be worthy.

"Regardless of the destination, I feel I am trained and prepared for any mission or contingency," White wrote. "I have to have faith that those at the helm have fully weighed the consequences and have determined that the resulting good will far outweigh the bad."

White, the pilot of a F-A-18C Hornet, was killed April 2, 2003. The Navy believes his plane was brought down by a Patriot missile. The incident remains under investigation, the Navy said.

In a statement released by the Navy, his family said they are proud of him and that he died doing what he loved.

"Aviation was his passion," the statement read. "He was a man who lived his dream. He died defending this country."

He grew up in Abilene, Texas, and graduated from Cooper High School in 1991. After high school, White attended Brigham Young University. He spent two years serving as a missionary in Japan.

White was assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 195, based in Atsugi, Japan, and had been deployed with Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.

White's survivors include his wife, Akiko, and his three children, Courtney, Austin and Zachary, who are all in Japan.