Lt. Col. Mark P. Phelan lost his life in a suicide bomber attack against his convoy in Mosul, Iraq  Oct. 13, 2004.

A former member of the 1185th Transportation Terminal Brigade, headquartered in Lancaster, Phelan died the day he started an extended tour of duty.

Saturday, the Lancaster Army Reserve Center, where Phelan worked for about 10 years, was named for the man revered by many.

"It is right and proper to give all who enter this building a benchmark to compare themselves to as we prepare to serve our country," Maj. Gen. William Monk III said during the dedication ceremony at  1135 Ranck Mill Road.

Monk, commanding general of the 99th Regional Readiness Command that governs the local reserve center, said, "It was here that Phelan learned his technical skills and honed his craft."

The Lt. Col. Mark P. Phelan Memorial U.S. Army Reserve Center was renovated in time for the dedication.

Phelan's commanding officer in Mosul, Col. Chuck Hutt, shed tears as he spoke about hearing the news of Phelan's death.

"He extended his duty another year [after serving under Hutt] and I sent him home for two weeks. He flew back the day we left and helped us pack up," he said.

"The next morning, while we were in the air, he was killed. "

Hutt said he was pulled aside on arriving at Fort Bragg, N.C., and told of Phelan's death. "I thought I'd made it out without losing anyone," he said. "It was tough to hear the day we got home. As commander, it's the hardest thing ever."

Judge Patrick Dugan, of Philadelphia, who also served with Phelan in Mosul, spoke at the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Dugan described Phelan as "down to earth, fun-loving, dedicated and very tenacious. He wouldn't let anything go," he said with a chuckle.

While in Mosul, Phelan's office was covered in drawings made by his nieces and nephews. He always had a large stand full of candy sent by his family.

"You could always go into the "general store' and pick out what you wanted," Dugan said. "Not just the soldiers, but the Iraqis, too."

During the ceremony, Dugan said, "Mark embodies the quote, 'Liberators not conquerors'."

He said the Civil Affairs units are in Iraq to help rebuild the country and get the people on their feet.

Iraqis, he said, have lived in their villages for thousands of years. Conquerors have marched through those villages for hundreds of years.

"The Civil Affairs came in as liberators and Mark was a liberator that quickly gained their trust," he said.

Phelan was instrumental in establishing the Nineveh Business Center in Mosul to help the locals start new businesses and obtain financing.

"He brought the American commercialism to them too," he said. "He had coasters and pens made with the center's name on them to show them how to advertise."

Phelan's wife, Brenda, presented Dugan with two coasters and a pen in a frame during the memorial dedication. "I've been trying to get some of these from her for three years," he said, wiping away a tear.

Dugan explained that Phelan extended his tour of duty so he could go to  Baghdad and work on opening business centers throughout the country. It was on the trip there that he and Maj. Charles Soltes Jr., of Irvine, Calif., were killed.

Hutt, who said Phelan joined his unit, 416th Civil Affairs Unit, to go to Iraq, finished his training two days before the unit shipped out.

"Everyone respected him, even the Iraqis," he said. When he was killed, three Iraqis who had left the area because of a surge in violence came back to work.

"They felt that if he gave his life for the country," he said, "then they could too.

"He stayed because he wanted to finish the mission. He wanted to help them become a democracy," he said.

Phelan's wife of 16 years managed to hold off her tears during the ceremony as she thanked members of the 1185th for supporting her since her husband's death.

The  widow started a foundation and a scholarship in her husband's name. She said she jumped into starting the foundation the day after her husband died. Soon, however, she became so emotional, she had to step back for a while.

"[The 1185th] were all so supportive of me and patient with me. They knew my intentions were good so they were there," she said before the ceremony.

The foundation will help wounded veterans and spouses and children of fallen soldiers who need financial assistance.

"We have raised about $35,000 so far and have already helped a family in Texas and a veteran in New Jersey," she said. "This is what Mark would have wanted."

The scholarship is set up at Upper Darby High School, of Drexel Hill, where Phelan graduated. The scholarship, which has raised $10,000, is to be awarded to the wrestler with the most heart, the widow said.

"This is the greatest honor for Mark and our family," said Phelan's sister, Michele Hunter. "We're blown away [by the memorial]."

Hunter said her brother was very modest and would have probably not liked the spotlight, but the memorial is important because the soldiers were so important to her younger brother.

Lt. Col. William O'Connell, commander of the 1185th, said, "We are here today to honor Mark Phelan and name our facility for him. He was a great American, a soldier who touched the lives of all those around him."

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts and state Rep. Bob Mensch of Montgomery County spoke of Phelan's courage and compassion at the ceremony.

"Mark was my dream. I had it all," Mrs. Phelan said. "There is a lot of emotion here today, but this is for a good purpose. He wanted to help his soldiers."