United States Army and Kentucky National Guard Major John Rock was born and raised in Vermont. Major Rock grew up in a loving Catholic home with eight siblings who were all active in sports and enjoyed the outdoors. As a family, the Rocks loved to camp and spend time in the woods. Major Rock met his lovely wife, Angela in Johnson, Vermont through mutual friends and shared an instant connection. The pair have been married for twenty -seven years. Major Rock works in Jefferson County Public Schools as an Assistant Principal for over 20 years after receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from Johnson State College and Masters in Education from Western Kentucky University.
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Major Rock decided to enlist in the US Army at 32 years old. Major Rock served in the 617th MP CO, 198th MP BN, 238th RGT, 149th BDE, Task Force Dragon and Task Force Legion in Iraq and on the Southwest Border. He loves the Soldiers he worked with, both as mentors and comrades, as well as the knowledge he gained by working with a wide range of professionals. In addition to serving in the Army, he served with the Kentucky National Guard, which allowed him the opportunity to work in another world class organization. Major Rock’s main goal was to serve his Country and State honorably, while providing safety and security in his community and country. In addition to his Federal deployments, Major Rock conducted over a dozen stateside missions in the State of Kentucky (natural disasters, COVID mitigation, training missions and event security) and across the United States. Additionally, he had personal goals to advance his leadership skills in his civilian career, which is education. He wanted to bring a wider array of tactics in education that could make himself and fellow educators more effective in a safe and productive learning environment. Throughout his honorable 20 years of service, Major Rock earned numerous awards, Commanded a Company of MPs to Baghdad, Iraq to operate the JVB, all of whom returned home safely, and recently, he served as the BDE SARC on the Southwest Border Mission stationed at Fort Bliss.
Major Rock was conducting the Army Ten Miler on his own because of COVID-19 restrictions. While doing so, a truck ran a stop sign and struck him and drove over him, paralyzing him. The driver drove away, leaving Major Rock on the ground. He was airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), where his life was saved. The injuries he sustained include paraplegia, a degloved left hand, 13 broken ribs (some in multiple places), a broken clavicle, a separated left shoulder, a flailed chest, and punctured intestines. Major Rock was in ICU for a month then medically flown to St. Louis for another surgery and to continue rehab and recovery. Although his recovery was and still is painful and frustrating, Major Rock has accepted that his recovery is on-going and he is committed to working, praying, and persevering. Major Rock is thankful to all the medical professionals and therapists at BAMC, VA-Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis and Louisville, Frazier Rehab and Community Fitness and Wellness Center.
Major Rock currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky. He enjoys hanging out with his family and watching his children play sports. He would love to get into fishing, woodworking, and painting with his wife. Additionally, he is his daughter’s high school basketball coach and is active at his children’s school. In the future, Major Rock is excited for his new smart home from Tunnel to Towers. He is extremely grateful to the Foundation and all the donors for giving him the ability to navigate his home more independently, and a new perspective on life, both of which will be a great help to him. He feels thankful for the weight of his State and Nation supporting him and praying for him. Major Rock would like to thank his loving wife for being his angel through his recovery, as well as his children (Graceann, Leo, Stella, Elijah, Luke, Gabriel, Joseph, nephew Kane, and Hayley), his six sisters (Mary, Jennifer, Jessica, Sister Brigid Mary, Deborah and Kathleen), his two brothers (Patrick and Jim) and his parents (Grace and James). There are so many good people in this world, he describes it as humbling to receive so much help and support. Finally, United States Army Kentucky National Guard Major Rock would like others to know that he feels it is a miracle he is alive and that his story continues because of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.