John Wiley Brock was born August 15, 1914 to James William and Chloe Cumi Brock nee Woodham in New Brockton, Coffee County, Alabama. He had six younger siblings, James, Charles, William, Mary, Betty and Robert. He played football for and graduated from Coffee County High School in 1935.

He enlisted in the Navy on May 12, 1936 in Birmingham, Alabama with service number 0-146504 and, after completing his basic training at the Naval Training Station, Norfolk, Virginia, he reported to the battleship USS Arkansas (BB-33) on February 5, 1937. He was on the Arkansas for only a few months before he was assigned to the detail fitting out the new aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-5) at the Naval Operating Base (NOB), Norfolk. Several months later, in September 1937, he was advanced in rate to Seaman 1/c (S1c).

He served on the staff of the Commander, Carrier Division Two (COMCARDIV2) until April 1938 when he was transferred to Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6). On April 13, 1939, Brock was assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola at Pensacola, Florida, where he underwent flight training as a naval enlisted pilot. Promoted to aviation ordnanceman second class on December 16, 1939, he rejoined Torpedo Squadron 6 on May 10, 1940, remaining in that squadron until autumn, when he received orders to Naval Training Station Norfolk. While serving there, he was advanced in rate to aviation ordnanceman 1st class on November 16, 1940. After a brief assignment to the receiving ship at Naval Base San Diego at San Diego, California, he joined the oiler USS Brazos (AO-4) in June 1941, and ultimately reported to Torpedo Squadron 6 for a third time, in August 1941. He was commissioned as an ensign on April 21, 1942.

His fiancée, Marian Williamson attended his graduation. According to newspaper accounts, Petty Officer Brock and Miss Marian Williamson married on Friday night, May 10, 1940 (according to FL marriage records they married on May 3, 1940.) in Milton, Santa Rosa, FL. His son Jerry was born in Norfolk, VA (2/13/41) at the Navy hospital. His wife Marian later traveled with Jerry to Montgomery to stay with Ens. Brock's family for a few months before going out to San Diego to join him.

In October 1941 John traveled back to San Diego aboard the USS Richmond (CL-9), for further transfer to NTS Norfolk, VA. While serving there, Brock was advanced in rate to Aviation Ordnanceman First Class (AOM1c). On June 19, 1941, AOM1 Brock arrived back at the Naval Receiving Ship (NRS) San Diego from NTS Norfolk. About two weeks later he reported on board USS Brazos (AO-4) for transport back to Pearl Harbor and VT-6.

Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6) embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). VT-6 was equipped with Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers, which entered service in 1937 as the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy but by 1941 were severely outdated.

For most of 1941 Enterprise conducted training exercises and shuttled Army and Navy aircraft from US West Coast ports to Pearl Harbor and beyond. Enterprise left San Diego with a cargo of Marine aircraft and pilots destined for Wake Island. After departing Wake Island, Enterprise was scheduled to arrive at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941, but fortunately was delayed due to inclement weather so was not in port during the Japanese sneak attack on the morning of December 7, 1941.

In the first five months of 1942, Enterprise and her Air Group participated in the Gilbert, Marshall Islands, and Wake Island operations. By April of 1942 Brock was commissioned an Ensign and was advanced to the permanent rank of pilot first class (AP1). In early May 1942 Enterprise and USS Hornet were sent to the South Pacific to assist USS Lexington and USS Yorktown in the battle of the Coral Sea, however the battle was over before they arrived on-scene. Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor and began preparations to meet an expected Japanese attack on Midway Atoll, a key American outpost in the Central Pacific.

In late May 1942, the carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown steamed toward Midway to intercept an approaching Japanese task force consisting of four aircraft carriers and other support vessels. In the early morning hours of June 4, 1942, a collection of Navy, Marine, and Army aircraft based at Midway were the first to attack the approaching Japanese carrier striking force, but scored no hits and most were shot down. Next, fifteen TBD Devastators from Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) from USS Hornet attacked the Japanese but were all shot down, again without scoring any hits. Shortly after the last VT-8 aircraft was downed, torpedo bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown found and attacked the Japanese fleet. Despite being separated from their fighter protection, the pilots of the obsolete Devastator torpedo bombers of VT-6, including Ens. John Wiley Brock and his radioman/gunner ARM3 John Melville Blundell valiantly pressed the attack on the enemy carriers through a gauntlet of swarming enemy A6M2 Zero fighters and a hail of anti-aircraft fire. Of the fourteen torpedo planes that took off from the Enterprise, none were able to score hits on the Japanese fleet. Ens. Brock and his radioman Blundell were either killed when their aircraft was shot down or were lost at sea. In all, VT-6 lost 18 of the 28 aircrew and 10 of the 14 aircraft it flew against the Japanese that day.

Because the Japanese fighters were distracted with the repeated torpedo bomber attacks, dive bombers from Enterprise and Yorktown found the Japanese fleet and sank three of the four enemy carriers, and returned later that afternoon to sink the fourth. The Battle of Midway proved to be a key turning point in the Pacific War.

Ens. Brock was declared missing in action by the Navy shortly after the battle and his status was later revised to killed in action. He is memorialized at the Courts of the Missing in the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was posthumously the Navy Cross, the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one bronze star and the World War Two Victory Medal.

On October 27, 1943 the Navy honored Ens. Brock by commissioning a destroyer escort USS Brock (DE-234) in his name. The ceremony was held at the Charleston Navy Yard and was attended by James W. Brock (father), Chole Brock (mother), Jerry Brock (son), Brothers James, Earl and Bobby. Sisters Louise and Betty.

Thank you, Ens. John Wiley Brock, for your service and your sacrifice, you will not be forgotten.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at nez13820 at gmail dot com.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Sources:

1930 United States Federal Census
1940 United States Federal Census
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Brock
Email from Jerry Brock, son of Ens. Brock, June 4, 2022 with corrections to this story.
“Navy Honors Lost Montgomery Hero”, Alabama Journal, Jan. 22, 1944, pg. 1
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Brock_(APD-93), accessed Apr. 25, 2022
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/brock%3Djohn-0
Naval History and Heritage Command website, www.history.navy.mil
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66606700/john-wiley-brock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56115713/john-melville-blundell
Contains excerpts from a bio by Gerry Lawton at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56116340/john-wiley-brock

SBTS Project/Alabama/Coffee

John W Brock