Army 1st Lt. Mark H. Dooley

Died September 19, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27, of Wallkill, N.Y.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), 42nd Infantry Division, Vermont Army National Guard, Jericho, Vt.; killed Sept. 19 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during patrol operations in Ramadi, Iraq.

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Police officer serving in Vermont National Guard killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

When Eric McLaud began coaching high school cross-country, he relied on Mark H. Dooley to be a role model and leader for the other boys.

“He was my best runner — he would just take off!” McLaud said.

“He didn’t have to switch to second gear. That’s how he did things.”

Dooley, 27, of Wilmington, Vt., was killed Sept. 19 by a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Iraq. He was based at Jericho.

In 2002, Dooley graduated Norwich University, a private military college in Northfield, Vt. He became a police officer in Wilmington.

“He was such an outstanding young guy,” said Police Chief Joseph M. Szarejko. “He was very sincere and honest and really wanted to help people.”

Walt Overfield, owner of Paesane’s Pizzeria in Modena, N.Y., said he instantly knew Dooley was a “good kid” when he hired him as a driver in 1996.

“He was the best person I’ll ever know,” he said.

He is survived by his parents, Peter and Marion Dooley.

“Deep down I think he had always thought about law enforcement or the military,” said his father. “He had a strong sense of right and wrong and the police and military structure felt right to him.”