A former Ulster County man who was pursuing a police career in small-town Vermont was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, the military said yesterday.
Mark H. Dooley, who grew up in Wallkill and was a Vermont National Guard lieutenant, died Monday while on a routine mission near Ramadi, an insurgent stronghold.
Two other people were killed by the same explosion, the Army said.
Before he was called to active duty in January, Dooley, 27, worked two months as a police officer in Wilmington, Vt., in the southern part of the state between Bennington and Brattleboro.
Dooley was described as “respectful, dedicated and motivated” in Wilmington’s latest annual report.
In 2002 and 2003, Dooley worked in the Windham County, Vt. sheriff’s department. He was a 2002 graduate of Norwich University, a Vermont university that offers military training.
Before heading to Vermont, Dooley graduated from Wallkill HS, where he was a member of the cross-country team, the Times Herald Record of Middletown reported.
Dooley was deployed to Iraq as a member of the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Mountain Infantry, a Vermont-based Guard unit that specializes in mountain warfare.
A member of the unit since 2000, Dooley was called up in January for active duty training in January. He arrived in Iraq in July.
“He was very well respected by his peers and his commanders,” said Vermont Adjutant General Martha Rainville. “He will be deeply missed.”
He is survived by his parents and a brother. With Post Wire Services