NEWINGTON, N.H. (AP) – In written statements released by military officials, members of the New Hampshire National Guard describe carrying on after losing one of their own, fighting off ambushes and sharing stories over a bonfire.

The statements were part of the guard’s monthly update on New Hampshire’s 2,700 Air and Army National Guard members, 1,000 of whom are deployed overseas. Some 800 members are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, where there have been nine injuries and one death.

Army Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes, 27, who was born in Dover and lived in North Berwick, Maine, was killed March 29 when a bomb hit the truck in which he was riding.

“There is a void in the area without Jay’s laughter and smile around to brighten us up when we’re having a bad day,” wrote Capt. Mary Bergner of Hampton, commander of the 744th Transportation Company. “We will never forget him and he will always hold a part in our heart for what a great person and exceptional soldier he was.”

Bergner said her group has pulled together, and described thought-provoking discussions over coffee or sitting around a bonfire.

Capt. Raymond Valas of Goffstown described the convoy security work his unit has been doing since arriving in Iraq in March.

When one squad was ambushed, Spec. Paul Brassard of Weare treated an American civilian whose arm was severed, applying a tourniquet and putting an intravenous line in the man’s foot because the veins in his upper body had collapsed.

“He even had the presence of mind to use his forceps to remove a piece of shrapnel’s from the (civilian’s) chest, clean it off, and put it in a container for him as a souvenir, which cheered him up and helped him survive,” wrote Valas, commander of Company C, 3rd of the 172nd Infantry.

In Afghanistan, the 210th Engineer Detachment has been overseeing the rebuilding of a school by local workers.

“These projects are a win-win situation in that having the locals perform the work puts money directly into the Afghan economy, the kids get a great school and the people see firsthand that Americans care about them,” wrote Capt. Craig Lapiana of Merrimack.

AP-ES-05-04-04 0217EDT