Johnny Ralph Brock
Agency patch
Airman

Johnny Ralph Brock

Accident Veteran →
End of Watch October 9, 1971
Age 19
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 109 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Airman Johnny Brock, Staff Sergeant Terry Wright, Sergeant Bernard Blake, Sergeant David Cloe, Sergeant Glen Wilson, and Airman First Class Larry Hughes were killed when their UH-1F Iroquois helicopter crashed approximately 14 miles north of Wall, South Dakota.

All six Security Policemen were en route to begin the routine changeover of security personnel for guard duty at a local Missle Silo site. While en route, the pilot radioed dispatch at Ellsworth AFB that he was experiencing mechanical problems with the aircraft and would be making an emergency landing in a pasture to determine what was wrong. The pilot lost control of the aircraft while making the emergency landing and crashed on its right side, trapping the crew inside the aircraft, which became engulfed in flames. The pilot who was the lone survivor of the accident was able to escape through the pilot bubble and was rescued by another helicopter that was en route to the same missile silo to changeover security personnel.

All six Security Policemen were assigned to the 821st Military Police Squadron at Ellsworth AFB.

Airman Brock was a United States Air Force veteran for one year.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents, and a brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-6371974A
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Airman Brock gave the United States Air Force Security Forces 1 year.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location JBSA-Lackland, TX
Platform Identity usafsffed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 9, 1971
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 19
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Johnny Ralph Brock served in the Air Force before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Airman Johnny Ralph Brock is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At United States Air Force Security Forces, 28 of 41 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 68.3% of this agency's fallen.

United States Air Force Security Forces
28
of 41 officers
68.3% Accident
TX — Statewide
653
of 2,421 officers
27% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Johnny Ralph Brock's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Johnny Ralph Brock Compares

Age at End of Watch
19
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Johnny Ralph Brock is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location