To me, heroes are those who put others first, even if it means risking their life. Heroes have courage, integrity, and bravery. They will stop at nothing. A hero is a person who is not afraid of adversity. My hero is my cousin Sean.

As a young boy growing up in New Hampshire, Sean looked up to his father, a Vietnam veteran. He dreamed of following in his footsteps and serving our country. And so when he reached 18, he enrolled in the Marine Corps. He packed his bags and headed for boot camp in North Carolina, where he learned military tactics and survival skills for battle. The demanding and wrenching physical fitness was difficult, but Sean stuck with it.

Then Sean was sent to Iraq and placed on the front line. The ­climate was dry, and dust emanated in the air with each footstep. Not once did Sean regret being in the service. After his tour was up, he returned to North Carolina, and a year later was deployed to serve another tour in Iraq. Each day he prayed and was happy to be alive. Sean survived two tours of duty and returned home to New Hampshire. Although his time in the Marines had ended, Sean was not finished serving.

Sean was accepted into the police academy, and became an ­officer for Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He took these responsibility seriously and knew the standards he needed to fulfill. Then tragedy struck. In the small New Hampshire town sirens sounded, and reporters arrived at the scene in seconds. One ­reporter said with heavy emotion, “On this night of August 15, 2008, Sean Powers was struck from behind by an alleged drunk driver, on his way home from work, and killed.”

When I heard this news, I crumbled to my knees and could not find words. My hero, the one who would pick me up when I fell, was gone. I felt all the emotions in a rush: anger, melancholy, and hope that he was now in a better place. Sean touched many lives, and continues to. Sean will always be remembered and loved. He put others before himself in every situation, and never gave up on anyone or anything. For that, he is my hero.