Separated by a war 8,000 miles away but connecting daily online or by telephone, a young married couple anxiously counted the hours until their planned end-of-the month reunion and anticipated belated honeymoon on Maui.

Hickam-based Senior Airman William N. "Will" Newman, 23, and his 22-year-old wife, Soyong, had met in Florida and were married in Honolulu 22 months ago. They shared dreams that included finishing college and doing social work for her, and studying for a staff sergeant promotion test, possibly writing a book, and either pursuing studies to be an engineer or going into law enforcement work as an explosive technician for him.

So many dreams to chase, so much time to do it. Their future was filled with potential.

The dream was shattered last Wednesday when Soyong Newman was told of the death of her husband, Senior Airman William N. "Will" Newman, by 15th Civil Engineer Squadron commander Lt. Col. Dave Maharray, acting medical group commander Lt. Col. Guillermo Tellez, Senior Master Sgt. James Laurent and Chaplain Stephen Voyt, who came in person to her Hickam Air Force Base home to inform her according to proper military procedure.

She was told her husband, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, was killed while trying to dismantle an "improvised explosive device" that posed a threat to civilians in an area south of Balad, Iraq. Newman is the first Hickam airman killed in action in the Iraq war.

"I'm so proud," Soyong Newman said yesterday, pausing briefly to regain her composure." He liked his job, for sure.

"I think there were a lot of children around and he wanted to protect them," she said.

Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Lester flew in from Florida to be with his daughter, Soyong. Also, members of All Nations Fellowship Church, where the Newmans worshiped regularly, have lent their support.

Lester said his son-in-law volunteered to attend Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EDO), at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and graduated near the top of his class.

"It crushed me when (Soyong) called me in Florida to tell me," Lester said. "I've been trying to reassure her that Will died doing what he believed in, saving lives. He was the only person I've ever met who everyone really liked."

Soyong Newman, born in South Korea but raised in America, last spoke to her husband at noon the day before he was killed. Her husband had passed his college-level equivalence test for an associate degree and "was so excited," she said.

They talked about their upcoming trip to Maui, the new clothes she bought for the occasion, and, no doubt, their love for each other.

Soyong Newman worried about the dangerous job her husband chose to do and recalled asking him once to try something less hazardous.

"He told me: 'If I'm going to be in the service, I want to be EOD.' And I know he wanted to help people," she said.

Will Newman deployed to Iraq with a Hickam-based EOD team on Dec. 29, six days earlier than scheduled.

"He would e-mail me every day, and whenever he didn't write, I would freak out," Soyong Newman said.

The couple, who would have celebrated their second wedding anniversary Aug. 2, met three years ago while Will Newman was at EOD school and they were attending Philadelphia Full Gospel Church services.

On their first date, he took her to a "Spider-Man" movie and gave her a portrait sketch of herself he had drawn. The sketch signed by her husband is treasured by Soyong Newman.

"I'm going to miss cooking for him ... he was not picky and loved Korean food," she said, adding her husband looked forward to receiving his Korean snack packages from home.

The Newmans shared much in a short time — he learned enough Korean to be able to write to her and she, trying to stay one step ahead, had been studying Japanese.

"We never ever had a fight," she said.

There will only be good memories, Soyong Newman said.

"I would tell him now: 'You're a hero, my hero always,' " she said.

"I need some time to heal. So, I'll be moving back to Florida for a while," she added.

A remembrance service for Newman is planned for 9:30 this morning at Hickam Chapel, said Master Sgt. Pete Seagriff.

Newman's family will hold a similar service in Middleton, Tenn., Saturday. The formal Air Force funeral service with Newman's body is set for June 23 in Tennessee. He will be buried at a veterans cemetery there.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.