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'Four Steps To Living Like Glen:' Brother eulogizes SEAL killed in Libya

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – Inside the St. Eulalia Church in Winchester, hundreds gathered to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Glen Doherty, the former Navy SEAL who died in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya on Sept. 11, 2012.

IMAGES: Glen Doherty, former SEAL killed in Libya, laid to rest


During the funeral mass which was held on Wednesday, both Rev. James W. Savage, who gave the homily, and Greg Doherty, the victim's brother, spoke of Glen's humanity.

In Savage's homily, he said that Doherty was the embodiment of God's Greatest Commandment, "Love one another as I have loved you." Savage said Doherty gave the ultimate sacrifice, his life, and "there is no greater love than to give one's life for a friend."

Greg Doherty's eulogy provided further insight into his brother's life, as well as the day he was killed.

According to Greg Doherty, on the day his brother died, he was not inside the Benghazi consulate which was being attacked and overrun.  Doherty said Glen Doherty and his friend Ty Woods were called upon to help. They immediately began coordinating an effort to save the 30 people, who were trapped inside working for diplomacy.

Greg Doherty said his brother and Woods managed to get everyone loaded into vehicles and transported to a safe house.

The 30 people that were rescued from the consulate lived; however, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, Ty Woods, and Ambassador Chris Stevens did not survive the attack.

However, Greg Doherty's said his brother's life was not in vain because he passed on "The Four Steps to Living Like Glen."

In a moment of humor, Greg Doherty compared the feeling of knowing Glen to knowing "happiness."

"The feeling of knowing Glen is happiness.  If you knew Glen and he made you happy clap your hands," Greg sang to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It."

The church was immediately filled with the sound of hundreds of clapping hands.

To conclude the eulogy, Greg Doherty reiterated the common theme of Glen life: humanity. 

"He died protecting people because he believed in humanity. He believed in humanity because his friends taught him, sharpened him, challenged him, and taught him the value of life. He cherished life enough to want to pay it back. Do you understand that thought? We can't pay back life. You can't pay back what makes your heart beat each time. He loved it so much that he wanted to work for it. He wanted to it pay back so at the pearly gates he could say, 'Thank you and you're welcome."

Glen lived every day of his life asking God, "'What can I do to thank You?' That's how he lived."

"It's a good thing we grew up on Glen Road, or we'd have to name it that now."

(Below we have outlined a paraphrased version of Greg Doherty's steps to living like his brother.)

IMAGES: Glen Doherty, former SEAL killed in Libya, laid to rest

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Four Steps to Living Like Glen:

1. ) Improve yourself.

According to Greg Doherty, Glen lived his entire life in training even before realizing that he wanted to become a Navy SEAL.  As a child, both Greg and Glen looked up to their parents.  Their mother was a beacon of wisdom always challenging them to do better, be better. She would help them answer life's toughest questions: What's important? Where do you want to go? How do you get there?

However, it was always Glen Doherty who knew how to make things happen, and as a result, he was able to accomplish many things. He was a ski bum, a white water rafter, a Navy SEAL, a brother, a son, and a great friend.

Greg Doherty said his brother was, "my mother's light and my father's fight." He knew what it meant to be a role model.

2.) Build skills.

Glen Doherty began building his skills by surrounding himself with people of character, and in turn, his family and his friends helped mold his character. He was taught to love, to step up, and to work.

While training to become a Navy SEAL, Glen was taught to look at the sources of pain and weakness. He was taught to uproot addictions, sadness, and fear. But, Glen had been developing those skills early in life.  He was always building his skills becoming somebody.


3.) Help others.

In Greg Doherty's eulogy, he said it is a privilege to have character.  His brother had character and saw it as a privilege to share those resources with others. No one will begrudge you for sharing what you have been blessed with.

"With the skills you built, handle it," Greg said.


4.) Find what you love to do and do it. Find who you love and show that you love them.

Glen Doherty lived life with purpose. He sought out people, places, and things. Greg urged the churchgoers to follow in Glen's footsteps.  He told them to share the feeling of love with other and to share the security of your friendship in order to provide what Glen did for other…perfect happiness.

IMAGES: Glen Doherty, former SEAL killed in Libya, laid to rest