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Corbitt, Stephen
Mr. Corona
American History/P5
29 March 2010
Daryl Edwin Brock
Daryl Edwin Brock was a navy sailor during the infamous Vietnam War. He served his
time in the military for six years, re enlisting for two more years after his four year term. He was
in the armed forces from June 11th 1968 to June 11th 1974. Daryl Brocks official title was ETR 2
(SS) who was born in 1948 and graduated from Ramona High school here in Riverside. Brock
decided to enlist into the military after failing to uphold Cal State standards. At first, he wanted
to join the Air Force, but the Navy was the only branch open at the time period, coercing him
become a part of the worlds finest navy. When he contemplated about the job he wanted in the
navy, he thought of medical support, but his aptitude test proved other wise, pointing his career
towards the electronics field. This marked the beginning of his life changing obstacles that he
encountered as a navy sailor, deep within the heat of Vietnam.
Brock entered the Naval Training Center in San Diego, which consisted of 80 men in his
company and at a 3 month time span. During this navy basic training, Brock learned the standard
knowledge of the navy and eventually adapted to the military life style. His company practiced
fire fighting for maintenance of a navy vessel. They entered gas chambers while singing the
national anthem on the top of their lungs in case of nuclear warfare. They attended the rifle range
and practiced shooting and aiming 22’s. After these memorable 3 months, Brock travelled to the
San Francisco Bay at Treasure Island for Electronics Training which was about half a year.
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After most of his basic training was finished, Daryl Brock served on the USS Bon
Homme Richard CVA 31 where he controlled the convoluted and elaborate radar system. While
on the ship, a radar satellite malfunctioned several stories high and the only possible way to
repair the problem was by climbing. Brock scaled the vessel and fixed the broken piece of
equipment as the waves crashed against the hull. Japan became his first port, and Hong Kong
was his second, he also stayed at the Philippines for two weeks. Through out the entire Vietnam
War, Brock was physically in Vietnam for only 3 days. The navy gave him the chance to
experience new cultures and travel the world but his interest in submarines soon came to full
fruition.
Daryl Brock went to Nuclear Power School in Vallejo California for 6 months. During
these six months, Brock learned college level classes, typically spread through out a year,
condensed into half the time it usually took for college students. The topics were composed of
several types of physics and chemistry. Soon after, he was transferred to Idaho where he worked
on reactor prototypes. Once Nuclear Power School was done, Brock went to New London
Connecticut Naval Submarine School, which by then he was an E5, or a petty officer second
class.
The Polaris submarine was where Brock worked. The submarine itself held six teen
missiles with the purpose of stealth and recon. His longest patrol under sea was 118 days while
the shortest was 101 days. He spent a total of one year and four months at sea and 100 days
under water. Not once did Daryl Brock ever seen combat, the closest he got was a near by
bombing. When Brock finally returned from his military career, he walked out of an aircraft
carrier with experiences only him and his fellow comrades can share. Anchors away played in
the back ground as he stepped onto the dock, forever knowing he served for his country despite
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the fact he never faced combat. He learned that he could be successful in education, and he was
glad that he had the chance to travel the world and follow in his ancestor’s footsteps.