NORTH HAMPTON -- Flags are at half-staff in North Hampton in honor of 2nd Lt. Matthew S. Coutu, 23, who was killed in Iraq on Monday.

Coutu's father, Michael, a Vietnam veteran, lives in town with his stepmother and a half-brother, Andrew, 5, who just graduated from kindergarten at North Hampton School.

Andrew and his classmates sent letters to Coutu in Iraq during the school year.

Matthew Coutu, of the 64th Military Police Company, was shot by a sniper outside a Baghdad police station while assisting Iraqi police, according to his father.

Michael Coutu said his son knew early on that the military was in his future. His grandfather had fought in World War II and Matthew dreamed of parlaying his military duty into a career in the Secret Service or FBI, his father said.

"We're the type of family that puts value on God and country," Michael Coutu said from his home Wednesday. "From that standpoint, I thought it was admirable that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and my father.

"But, from another standpoint, what parent wants their child to be in harm's way?"

Coutu, a New Jersey native, attended high school in Lake Forest, Ill., before entering the ROTC program at the University of Maine.

Neighbors and the local American Legion (Post 35) have rallied to support the family.

Joe Kutt, who owns Joe's Meat Shoppe in town and is active in the American Legion, said the group is awaiting word on funeral arrangements.

Coutu's mother is said to live in Rhode Island.

Neighbors are asking residents to display their flags in honor of Coutu, according to one neighbor who requested her name not be used.

"He was an outstanding young man," she said, "handsome, a good athlete, sharp. He could have done anything with his life. He chose the service."

The marquees in town also honor Coutu: "North Hampton mourns a fallen son. Matthew Coutu, KIA, June 26, 2005."

Coutu's battalion commander, Lt. Colonel Robert Taradash, in a telephone call from Iraq to the family, had this to say about Coutu:

Coutu was "perhaps his best platoon leader in the unit, someone who earned the admiration and respect of his fellow officers and the men who served under him, whose loss will be grieved no less than that of a brother, parent, spouse or dear friend. He was an exemplar role model to all who was loved in this (Army) family."

NORTH HAMPTON -- A 23-year-old Army lieutenant who had Seacoast ties and topped his training class at the University of Maine was killed by enemy fire in Iraq Monday.

Second Lt. Matthew S. Coutu, of the 64th Military Police Company, was shot by a sniper outside a Baghdad police station while assisting Iraqi police, said his father, Michael Coutu, who had spoken with the battalion commander by phone.

A New Jersey native, Coutu moved to the Chicago area when his father changed jobs. He attended high school in Lake Forest, Ill., before entering the ROTC program at the University of Maine.

Michael Coutu, a Vietnam veteran and North Hampton resident, said his son knew early on that the military was in his future. His grandfather had fought in World War II, and Matthew dreamt of parlaying his military duty into a career in the Secret Service or FBI, his father said.

"We're the type of family that puts value on God and country," Michael Coutu said from his home Wednesday. "From that standpoint, I thought it was admirable that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and my father.

"But, from another standpoint, what parent wants their child to be in harm's way?"

In 2004, upon his graduation from the University of Maine, Coutu won the George C. Marshall award, given to the top cadet in a school's ROTC program. Coutu had to complete rigorous leadership training to qualify for the award.

Coutu graduated on May 8 and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant the same day, according to his father. He was assigned to the 64th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, in Fort Hood, Texas.

"In these circumstances, you tend to find superlatives to describe the person," said Capt. Jeffrey Weston, the ROTC commander at the University of Maine. "This is one of those examples that truly matches up to that. The thing about Matt is that he was all that, but he was also a very humble young man."

Matt Flagg, an ROTC cadet who was one year behind Coutu, said his friend had all the attributes of a good leader.

"He acted like a big brother when he needed to be," Flagg said. "He also took the time to get to know you outside of training."

Earlier this year, kindergarten students at North Hampton School had each written a letter to Coutu while he was stationed in Iraq. The students included the soldier's 5-year-old half-brother, Andrew, who Michael Coutu has from another marriage.

Matthew Coutu's mother, Donna Coutu, lives in North Kingstown, R.I.

His father said that Matthew never shied away from his desire to serve as the nation prepared for war in Iraq.

"Obviously, through the middle course of his ROTC training, Iraq came on the radar screen as a real possibility. That did not deter him," Michael Coutu said.

"What can a father say about a boy? He did what he thought was right, and he made the ultimate sacrifice."

More than 1,740 Americans have died in the Iraq war, according to The Associated Press.