STARKSBORO, Vt. -- A soldier from the small town of Starksboro has been killed in combat in Iraq.

Christopher Gelineau, 23, was a member of the 133rd Engineer Battalion out of Maine. He was killed Tuesday in Mosul, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded next to his convoy's Humvee. Anti-American rebels then opened fire on the soldiers who fired back.

Gov. James Douglas' office said Gelineau was living with his wife, Lavinia, in Portland, Maine, before he headed overseas. He had attended the University of Southern Maine to study Engineering.

Gelineau's mother still lives in Starksboro, and he reportedly leaves behind many relatives throughout Vermont.