Biography of Brock Hartshorn, written by Ava Sloan, Barklee McMillan, and Zane Wagner, in 2022
“Locking yourself in your car all day is how hot it feels like in Iraq,'' said Brock Hartshorn.
Can you imagine working in those conditions? Well, Brock Hartshorn experienced that and many other hardships when he enlisted as an infantryman to serve his country. We are honored to tell his story.
Brock had a typical life growing up. He was born in Concordia, Kansas, on October 13, 1967. He was the only child at the time, but a couple of years later, his younger brother Neal was born. Growing up, Brock attended Concordia Elementary School. While he was in school, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and sports.
Brock later attended Concordia Junior-Senior High School. He said he was an average student like any other teenager, and he actually enjoyed school. He graduated high school in 1986, but before he started college, he joined the military so he could pay for college with the G.I. Bill. He then attended Emporia State while he was also in the National Guard. He met his spouse during his time in college. They had one child, Taylor, who is now twenty-seven. Brock and his wife later divorced.
When Brock was seventeen and still in high school, he had started to think about joining the military, and in 1986, when he turned eighteen, he decided to enlist. Two weeks after he enlisted, he went to basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Then he was on active duty in 1987 for one year. He would soon find out that active duty would be one of his hardest challenges but also a rewarding accomplishment.
After basic training, Brock went to advanced training. He attended Infantry School and Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia, and he also went to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for officer training. After training, Brock was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan; he was nineteen at the time and had never been to a foreign country. Brock’s unit was the 101st Airborne, and he served on the front lines. Brock told us his most frightening experience was going over a hill with twelve others and spotting 1200 Iraqis. He was not badly injured in war, but he did break his ankle in training.
Brock shared some of the military conditions, “If you have ever eaten the food from school, you would have a general idea of what it tastes like because it’s pretty much the same. The rules were very strict, and you had to do exactly what you were told; the bed had to be made a certain way, and the hours were from sunup to sundown.” The dwellings provided were houses and officer quarters. The soldiers had three types of uniforms issued to them: a BDU uniform, dress greens, and dress blues.
While in Afghanistan, Brock said they were at a high altitude. In Iraq on a normal day, it was extremely hot with temperatures usually in the upper 120’s. When Brock had free time, he either spent it sleeping or getting his stuff together. On duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was still able to receive calls and care packages from loved ones. Also, while he was stationed in Baumholder, Germany, in his free time he would explore the rest of Europe.
After his service overseas, Brock stayed in the National Guard for twenty years. He was also awarded a Good Conduct Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Medal, and a Sharp Shooter Medal for his service. He returned to the United States and went back to school to become a teacher in Grove, Oklahoma. One of his first jobs was working as a baseball umpire in Concordia, Kansas, but he said he also bartended while he was in college. Currently, he is a special education teacher at Beloit Junior-Senior High School. He also coaches junior high wrestling and officiates at sporting events.
Brock Hartshorn has lived in many places including Concordia, Kansas; Emporia, Kansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Grove, Oklahoma; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Desoto, Kansas; Baldwin, Kansas; Rossville, Kansas; Topeka, Kansas; and currently Beloit, Kansas. He has belonged to the Lions Club and the Valhalla Organization. Brock’s hobbies include golfing, fishing, and hunting.
Brock said, “I feel that I followed a passion by joining the military.” To Brock, freedom means, “ . . . that before us people sacrificed so that we could live in this country.” He wants our generation to know about the sacrifices that many have made since we became a country and to remember the people who died trying to fight for freedom.
Credits:
Created with an image by Mega27 - "flag american old glory"