On September 12, 2012, Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL and true American hero, gave his life while rescuing approximately 30 American diplomats from a sustained terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. By all accounts, Doherty was a warrior of the very highest caliber who stood out, even amongst his SEAL peers, for his skill set and courage. Glen specialized as a sniper and combat paramedic, but was sought after for a wide range of elite combat skills as well as his sharp mind and fun personality.

Doherty first learned toughness in the boxing ring, under the tutelage of his father Ben, a former Golden Gloves and Army boxing champion who would later become a Massachusetts Boxing Commissioner. Glen's introduction to serious training for combat sports came in the wrestling room at Winchester High School. Doherty was a bull on the mat, all charge and willpower, smart and coachable, with good power and bursts of speed - and no quit.

Glen became interested in wrestling through his older brother Greg, a three-time sectional champion and a state place winner, who is honored to accept Glen's Medal of Courage Award. The Doherty brothers wrestled for "legendary" coach Larry Tremblay during the mid-1980s, just as Winchester was evolving into a powerhouse in Massachusetts wrestling. The 1985 WHS team, which is also being recognized, is considered the first of Coach Tremblay's many championship teams and the foundation of Winchester's winning tradition.

Glen and Greg were not just teammates, they were also wrestling partners. Rolling around on the mat every day strengthened the bond between the brothers. Glen also developed close friendships with many of his teammates and coaches, an innate aspect of his loving and open personality that spread throughout his life and touched everyone who had the good fortune to know Glen.

During his high school wrestling career, Doherty earned a winning record and a number of significant victories. More importantly, Glen acquired the discipline and heart demanded of a champion and never let them go, relying on these traits as he followed his life's path. Doherty learned to value the bonds of wrestling teammates: brothers in combat. Wrestling taught Glen how to fight and showed him that he was a fighter and, in a paradox that wrestlers understand, knowing his toughness freed Glen from having to prove it when it wasn't needed. Without wrestling as his background, Glen never would have thought to enter the SEALS and become an elite warrior.

Wrestling was the foundation on which Doherty kept building throughout his life. It instilled in him the confidence to make his own life, never following any blueprint. Glen became a pilot, backcountry skier, white-water river rafting guide, triathlete, surfer, Navy SEAL and counter-terrorism security operative. He did tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Libya and elsewhere. In between his tours, Glen had a blast with his friends and family.

Doherty was killed by mortar fire, alongside his good friend and SEAL teammate Tyrone Woods (also a former wrestler), while leading the defense of the besieged American "safe house" in Benghazi. Even with the heroism that marked his work and his death, Glen would consider his greatest legacy to be his vast network of extremely close friends, who taught him what made life worth dying for.

Glen is survived by his parents, Barbara and Ben, his brother Greg, his sister Kate, his cherished nieces and nephews (Jack, Thomas, and Cameron Quigley and True and Naomi Doherty), and his many close friends. Doherty also leaves countless admirers who are grateful for his courage and sacrifice. Whether undertaking heroic military actions or routine everyday activities, Glen always demonstrated his joy for life.

In recognition of his honorable service to family, friends, and country, the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is proud to honor Glen Doherty with this Medal of Courage Award.