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HAMILTON — Douglas Richard Mulle Jr. was held in high regard by those who knew him.

"He was such a nice young man," said Hamilton High School Principal Dennis Malone. "He had goals ... he went into the military because he wanted to serve his country."

A 2007 graduate of Hamilton High School, Mulle died Saturday, May 10, while on leave from Fort Benning, Ga., where he had recently graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne Ranger School. In March, he graduated from the Army medic school, said his father, Doug Mulle Sr., adding that his son had earned National Emergency Medical Technician certification.

Mulle Jr. was staying with his mother, Julie Gras, who lives near the base.

"He was 6 foot, but he was my baby ... I am so proud of him," Gras said. "He had a very special relationship with his stepfather, Marty, and his stepbrother, Joey Gaskin."

Gras said her son lived for the Army and the Rangers and he would tell you he "was the best of the best of the best."

He was smart enough to be anything he wanted to be, Gras said, and was thinking about becoming a doctor.

The special forces "are the elite ... they have to do a 12-mile march/run in three hours," Mulle said. "Every day he was on leave Dougie would go on an eight-mile run."

On his Saturday run, he was joined by his sister, Casey, 15, who followed on a scooter. With about a half-mile to go, Casey said she would meet him at home.

"We are guessing he was pushing himself and seeing how fast he could run on the tracks. He also had a new iPod and earphones," he said. "Apparently he had got on the tracks and a train came around the bend ...

"When you are running ... the only thing you can hear is your heart and your only thought is taking the next step. He never heard the whistle."

Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 19, at the Brown Dawson Funeral Home, 1350 Millville Ave. Services are at 10 a.m. Tuesday, with burial at Rose Hill Burial Park.

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