thedrifter
08-16-08, 07:47 AM
Hillsboro native served two tours of duty in Iraq
By Amy Augustine
Monitor staff
August 15, 2008
No matter how far he traveled, Sean Powers always told friends he'd return home.
"Being back here meant so much to him. He constantly talked about how much he loved this place and loved the people," said Ashley Woods, one of Powers's friends from high school.
After serving two tours in Iraq as a Marine, the 24-year-old Hillsboro native came home about a year ago, and things just started falling into place for him, friends said. In April, he was hired as the newest police officer in Hopkinton. He had a great girlfriend. He passed the exam for the police academy Monday, and was scheduled to start training Aug. 25.
Powers was killed about 1:30 a.m. yesterday after his motorcycle was struck from behind as he was heading home from work on Route 202/9 in Henniker. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Friends yesterday described Powers as a happy, ambitious, family-oriented man who was always looking for opportunities to make others smile.
"Everything we did together turned into an adventure," said Shaun Sullivan, who has known Powers since he was 4. "Sean was probably the most well-known person around town. People just wanted to be around him."
Friends said family meant the world to Powers, the second oldest son of five boys. After serving two tours in the Marines as a mechanic, he returned home and moved in with one of his brothers.
"There's no one in the community that doesn't know the Powers family. If you know one of them, you know all of them," Woods said.
His parents, Peter and Marilyn Powers, are very active in the town, said Donna Stafford, assistant principal at Hillsboro-Deering High School. Stafford's son is a close friend of Powers, Stafford said.
"After our son went to college, Sean kept in touch. His relationship extended beyond peers and parents," Stafford said. "He came back from boot camp in his uniform and told (me and my husband) that we could sleep sound every night because he was protecting us. I don't think I've known a young man who carried more pride."
News of Powers's death traveled quickly and has been hard on the school community, Stafford said. Marilyn Powers is a nurse at Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School, and last year she was awarded the district's Richard Withington Award as an outstanding staff member.
This is not the first time Hillsboro has lost a young police officer. Nearly 11 years ago, 24-year-old Jeremy Charron was shot and killed in the line of duty in Epsom. Charron had recently completed academy training, and also served in the Marines.
Powers left his mark in the high school yearbook with photos showing him sporting his signature black cowboy hat, and in the parking lot, for the oil spots he left with his old Chevy pickup truck.
"He left those spots for the next graduating class," Sullivan laughed. "Sean was big into off-roading and mechanics. He was always tinkering with something."
Two of Powers's brothers, one older and one younger, have also served tours in Iraq and have since returned.
"I think it's just been overwhelming for his parents. They thought they were in the clear when all three of their sons had gotten back from Iraq, and thought 'Okay, we can stop worrying.' It's just so ironic and so tragic," Woods said.
When his younger brother's armored tank was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq, Powers did his best to keep the mood light.
"Everyone was all upset, but no matter how upset he was, he made sure no one else would feel the same way he did," said Ryan Buker, a lifelong friend of Powers. "Sean was always the one you could count on to bring a smile to everyone's face."
Buker, who recently took a job with the Goffstown Police Department, completed the police academy test with Powers.
"I was so nervous because I'd failed the test before, but he kept talking to me and convinced me that it was going to be okay," Buker said. "When we went together on Monday . . . we both did awesome. I just thanked him. He would have made an unbelievable police officer."
This article is: 1 days old.
Ellie
By Amy Augustine
Monitor staff
August 15, 2008
No matter how far he traveled, Sean Powers always told friends he'd return home.
"Being back here meant so much to him. He constantly talked about how much he loved this place and loved the people," said Ashley Woods, one of Powers's friends from high school.
After serving two tours in Iraq as a Marine, the 24-year-old Hillsboro native came home about a year ago, and things just started falling into place for him, friends said. In April, he was hired as the newest police officer in Hopkinton. He had a great girlfriend. He passed the exam for the police academy Monday, and was scheduled to start training Aug. 25.
Powers was killed about 1:30 a.m. yesterday after his motorcycle was struck from behind as he was heading home from work on Route 202/9 in Henniker. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Friends yesterday described Powers as a happy, ambitious, family-oriented man who was always looking for opportunities to make others smile.
"Everything we did together turned into an adventure," said Shaun Sullivan, who has known Powers since he was 4. "Sean was probably the most well-known person around town. People just wanted to be around him."
Friends said family meant the world to Powers, the second oldest son of five boys. After serving two tours in the Marines as a mechanic, he returned home and moved in with one of his brothers.
"There's no one in the community that doesn't know the Powers family. If you know one of them, you know all of them," Woods said.
His parents, Peter and Marilyn Powers, are very active in the town, said Donna Stafford, assistant principal at Hillsboro-Deering High School. Stafford's son is a close friend of Powers, Stafford said.
"After our son went to college, Sean kept in touch. His relationship extended beyond peers and parents," Stafford said. "He came back from boot camp in his uniform and told (me and my husband) that we could sleep sound every night because he was protecting us. I don't think I've known a young man who carried more pride."
News of Powers's death traveled quickly and has been hard on the school community, Stafford said. Marilyn Powers is a nurse at Hillsboro-Deering Elementary School, and last year she was awarded the district's Richard Withington Award as an outstanding staff member.
This is not the first time Hillsboro has lost a young police officer. Nearly 11 years ago, 24-year-old Jeremy Charron was shot and killed in the line of duty in Epsom. Charron had recently completed academy training, and also served in the Marines.
Powers left his mark in the high school yearbook with photos showing him sporting his signature black cowboy hat, and in the parking lot, for the oil spots he left with his old Chevy pickup truck.
"He left those spots for the next graduating class," Sullivan laughed. "Sean was big into off-roading and mechanics. He was always tinkering with something."
Two of Powers's brothers, one older and one younger, have also served tours in Iraq and have since returned.
"I think it's just been overwhelming for his parents. They thought they were in the clear when all three of their sons had gotten back from Iraq, and thought 'Okay, we can stop worrying.' It's just so ironic and so tragic," Woods said.
When his younger brother's armored tank was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq, Powers did his best to keep the mood light.
"Everyone was all upset, but no matter how upset he was, he made sure no one else would feel the same way he did," said Ryan Buker, a lifelong friend of Powers. "Sean was always the one you could count on to bring a smile to everyone's face."
Buker, who recently took a job with the Goffstown Police Department, completed the police academy test with Powers.
"I was so nervous because I'd failed the test before, but he kept talking to me and convinced me that it was going to be okay," Buker said. "When we went together on Monday . . . we both did awesome. I just thanked him. He would have made an unbelievable police officer."
This article is: 1 days old.
Ellie