WINCHESTER — Hundreds of mourners lined up under gloomy skies outside the Church of St. Eulalia here on Tuesday to pay their respects to Glen Doherty, the former Navy SEAL who was killed last week in the attack on the American consulate in Libya.
“He was a hometown hero,” said Mimi Tambone, 47, whose sister attended Winchester High School with Doherty.
Doherty, 42, was working as a security contractor when he was killed with US Ambassador John Christopher Stevens in the consulate in Benghazi late Tuesday of last week during what some officials believe may have been a coordinated terrorist attack.
Doherty’s family said that prior to his work as a security contractor, he had served as a SEAL sniper and paramedic and coauthored a book on being a sniper with his friend Brandon Webb, another former SEAL.
Doherty was positioned on a rooftop when the US military rescued Army Private Jessica Lynch, who had been captured by Iraqi forces in 2003, and he also played a role in the breaching of palaces of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein during the Iraq war, according to relatives.
On Tuesday, a green pickup truck was parked in front of the church with a large American flag waving atop the bed.
A yellow sign with Doherty’s name printed on top of an American flag was placed against the back of the truck.
Retired Lieutenant Commander Anthony O’Brien, a former Navy SEAL, told reporters outside the church that many SEALs and other military personnel came to the wake, even if, like him, they did not know Doherty.
“It’s a brotherhood,” said O’Brien, a Pembroke resident.
He said he heard from other mourners that another SEAL gave one of his pins that is presented to all members of the elite unit to Doherty’s mother when he passed through the receiving line.
“From all accounts that I’ve heard . . . [he was] just a super-duper guy across the board and a great patriot,” O’Brien said.
Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray were among the mourners on Tuesday.
“America and the Commonwealth have suffered a great loss in the cause of peace,” Patrick said in a statement released afterward.
“Our hearts and prayers are with Glen Doherty’s family and friends at this terrible time. We honor his service and his sacrifice.”
Murray also offered condolences in a statement.
“Military servicemen and women, as well as civilians, put themselves in harm’s way each and every day to protect our country and our freedom,” said Murray.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Glen Doherty’s family and friends and all those who lost their lives in the horrific attack in Libya,” the statement added.
A funeral Mass for Doherty is scheduled for Wednesday at the Church of St. Eulalia at 11 a.m.
Friends are invited to line the route of the procession, which will begin from the Costello Funeral Home at 177 Washington St. at 10:30 a.m. and progress to the church, the funeral home said on its website.
In lieu of flowers, at the family’s request, donations in Doherty’s memory can be made to the Navy SEAL Foundation or to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, the funeral home said.