In Remembrance: Capt. Sean L. Brock

It's been six years, three months and 28 days since Redondo Beach resident Capt. Sean L. Brock died from injuries received in combat in Ramadi, Iraq. He is the city's only serviceman killed in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His friends keep his memory alive through a Facebook group where they post memories and condolences.

"I always respected my officers throughout my time in the Marines but never again felt as inspired by one as I did while working for Capt. Brock," Rigo Gonzalez wrote on the group's page. "As I grew in rank and became a Non-Commissioned Officer, I tried to draw from some of his leadership qualities and make them my own. And now that I'm out in the civilian world, he still inspires me as I try to obtain my degree."

Inspiring people seemed to be Brock's specialty. In obituaries, on Facebook and on memorial pages, friends, relatives and even strangers have posted about how he affected their lives.

"He became a motivator of people," his uncle, the Rev. Fred Biby, told the Associated Press after Brock's death. "He literally not only accomplished his own dreams, but he pulled them out of people."

A 1993 graduate of Mira Costa High School, Brock enlisted in the Marine Corps with his twin brother Rayme. By chance, they were both assigned to boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Sean Brock married his wife, Navy Lt. Nurse Heather Brock, in 2002.

Brock had a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University. At the time of his death, he was pursuing a master's degree in international relations from Troy University and a doctorate in public policy and administration from Walden University.