John Vincent Rock

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by James A. McIntosh on December 19, 2001:

John Rock was a classmate of mine during my plebe year. I came to West Point at the ripe old age of 17, when I was still "a greeny" in so many ways. John was the perfect roommate! I don't know if I could have survived that first year at the academy without him. His patience, kindness, sense of humor, and all -- around good fellowship were just what I needed. I quickly learned that my study habits were not the best. I spent the first several months "bugging" John with so many questions that I'm sure he would have preferred another roommate. But, he never made me feel that way, rather he was so patient in helping me to learn how to study that I actually enjoyed the effort. John and I had both done weightlifting and played ping-pong before coming to the academy. These two "hobbies" were something we both enjoyed discussing and doing together. I can still see in my mind's eye that big smile of his that radiated his inner feeling of love toward everyone he met. He was my big brother in so many ways. He was a native of Boston, and had that very recognizable accent, which we kidded him about often, but he was never defensive. He joked right along with the rest of us. I never heard John complain or say anything critical about any of his classmates in the four years I knew him at the academy. He was a great example to me in everything he did, and I wish he was still around, so I could let him know how much I loved him, especially during that first year when having a good friend was so important!

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