Michael D. Brock, Newark, flew 283 combat missions in "Huey" and "Cobra" gunships in the Vietnam War.
He enlisted in the Army in 1966, was commissioned an artillery and missile officer in 1967, and won his Army wings in the first aviator class at Hunter Army Field at Savannah in f 968.
He was promptly dispatched to Vietnam and wounded in action. Following recovery in Japan, he
returned to his unit to fly the new AH-1 "Cobra" gunships, sometimes as many as six missions a day, and many at night. He was highly decorated for his heroism.
Returning to the United States, Capt. Brock was named flight operations officer and subsequently airfield commander at Tipton Army Airfield, Fort Meade, Md. Joining the active Army Reserve, he transitioned pilots to the multi-engine 44-place CH-47 "Chinook" and qualified them with instrument ratings.
In 1973 he helped organize, in cooperation with the Delaware Valley Burn Foundation, protocols for transfer of burn victims via helicopter. He also served as a consultant to the Department of Defense on the AH-64 "Apache" helicopter project.
Pursuing a boyhood interest, Mike has won critical acclaim as a professional artist. He is proprietor of Hardcastle's Newark, Inc., a gallery in Newark, and currently is creating a collection of 40 historical paintings on aviation.
He and wife Lynn are the parents of Tim and Ryan, students at the University of Delaware; and Caitlin, a student at Newark High. Daughter Kelly and husband Jason Ferrara reside in Newark.
