“It’s a car Bud’s dad bought and had for a long time until he couldn’t drive it anymore. He gave it to Bud because he knew Bud would keep it up. His dad was passionate about cars, and Bud shared that love. He had the car repainted and found a radio for it and did the carpeting. He would only drive it in the summer. Whenever his mother came here, she’d want to ride in it. Now our middle son Andy has it; he used to go with Bud to all the car shows. It’s a connection that unites the Boone men over several generations. It will stay in our family forever.”

Linda Boone, wife

Canfield D. Boone, 53, had recently been promoted to full colonel in the Army and worked in personnel in newly renovated offices at the Pentagon.

A native of Milan, Ind., "Bud" Boone graduated from Butler University, where he majored in history and political science and met his wife, Linda, 52, a second-grade teacher, at Virginia Run Elementary School. "Half my life is gone," she said. "Half my past. Half my future. It's very hard."

Their three children, Chris, 23, Andy, 21, and Jason, 18, "are very proud of him, that he served his country," their mother said.

Boone sold insurance for Prudential and was an Army National Guardsman for several years before going on active duty in 1986. About 10 years ago, the family moved to a two-story colonial in the Little Rocky Run subdivision in Fairfax County.

The Boones belong to Centreville Presbyterian Church.

A neighbor, Subra Bettadapur, described Boone as a "very nice" family man who walked the dog and worked on his lawn "just like all of us did."

Linda Boone and her sons remember his sense of humor, which has helped them these past days. She recalled: "At restaurants, waitresses [handing him the check] would say, 'I'll take that when you're ready.' He'd always say, 'How about a week from next Thursday?' "

-- Eugene L. Meyer