Marine lieutenant Lawrence "Larry" Rock, the brother of Sgt. Frank Rock, was a marine in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.
History
Larry Rock, the younger brother of Sgt. Frank Rock, grew up in Pittsburgh. His brother Frank looked out for him throughout their childhood[1]. Lieutenant Rock joined the marines and survived the Battle of Corregidor, though he was wounded by a piece of flying shrapnel from a crashing bomber. His nurse, Suzie, and a friend, a sergeant named Lennie, helped him escape the hospital so he could continue fighting. Rock saved Lenny from an enemy PT Boat attack, and swore him to secrecy regarding the wound. They were in turn saved from drowning by Captain Storm, who brought them to Australia, where they joined up with a Marine unit there. During a beach landing, they were attacked by enemy forces, and Larry's vision began turning red as he attacked the enemy pillbox frantically to make them stop firing[2] (in a letter to Frank, Larry claimed it was a Japanese grenade at Bataan that caused his injury, and he left with General MacArthur[3]).
Larry's condition remained, and his vision once again went red when attacked by Japanese infantry. His frantic attack led to the Japanese calling him "mad devil dog." His vision turned red again when most of his men were killed in a jungle tank attack.[4] Larry later receives a medal for bravery, but gives it to Lohina, a native of the island they are on who almost gave her life for his [5]. Larry is captured by the Japanese and faced "The Master of the Black Belt" whom he narrowly defeats. Throughout the fight, he remembers an old friend, Vince Albie, who he felt he always had to catch up to, and eventually does, only for Vince to reveal that he has been trying to catch up to Larry's brother, Frank [6].
General MacArthur sent Larry to Switzerland via B-17 to have the shrapnel removed, and Nazis captured him and brought him to a castle in the Alps. He was interrogated and tortured to force him to reveal the plans for MacArthur's Pacific operations, but saved by Rock. Larry sacrificed his life during the rescue to keep the plans secret, falling from a cable car and being swallowed up by an avalanche [7]. Though thought dead, Larry survived and was taken to a hospital in Villiers. A nun working there, Sister Inge, managed to get word to Amy Rock, sister of Frank and Larry, and a nun herself, who traveled to Europe to rescue him. Frank Rock and Mademoiselle Marie helped to rescue Larry, who had lost his memory and was apparently mute.[8]
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
Recommended Reading
Related
- 14 Appearances of Lawrence Rock (New Earth)
- 1 Images featuring Lawrence Rock (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Lawrence Rock (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Lawrence Rock (New Earth)
Footnotes