Irish soldier, Luke Beresford, who is currently serving in Lebanon ran a Christmas Day marathon in memory of his fallen comrade who he described as “an absolute gentleman".
Private Sean Rooney died trying to drive his colleagues away from an armed group that surrounded and attacked their armoured car.
The pair were serving together in Lebanon and even lived together for a period of time over the years.
READ MORE: Irish soldier Sean Rooney's killers could face death penalty amid ‘show trial’ fears
Sean was shot as he drove an armoured jeep away from the crowd of attackers just weeks ago.
According to reports, the mob had surrounded the jeep and attacked the four-man crew as Private Rooney tried to speed away from them.
During the ambush, he was shot in the head and died instantly.
In memory of the young man, his friend and fellow soldier, Luke Beresford, ran a solo marathon as Mark Young wrote on Twitter: “Awesome achievement from @LukeBeresford8, completing his solo marathon here in post 2-45 and dedicating the run to our fallen comrade Seán Rooney and to soldiers serving overseas for Christmas”.
The young man took to social media after completing the marathon and wrote:
People have been flocking to congratulate the young man, with one person writing: “Huge congratulations Luke. And Happy Christmas to you all at Camp Shamrock”.
Another said: “RIP Sean. Finding inspiration from such a tragedy isn't easy, credit to you Luke Beresford, putting pride in yourself for your family and Thurles”.
A third wrote: “Ar fheabhas ar fad!”
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