Colonel Rock is a native of Barton, Vermont and graduated from Winthrop University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. He was commissioned in 2001 and completed the Basic School and Communications and Information Systems Officer Course in 2002.
Colonel Rock’s operational assignments include Division Comm Company, 1st Marine Division, where he served as the Radio Platoon Commander and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Jan-Oct 2003). In October 2003, he was assigned to 5th Battalion, 11th Marines where is served as the S-6 Officer (2003-2005). In 2009, he was assigned to 8th Communication Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC. While assigned to 8th Comm Bn, he deployed to Djibouti where he served as the J-6 Operations Officer, CJTF-HOA. In 2011 he took command of Bravo Company and deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring. In 2019, he was assigned as the Director C4, for Task Force 51/5 in Bahrain (2019-2020).
His Supporting Establishment assignments include Communications School where he served as a Faculty Advisor for the Basic Communications Officer Course (2005-2006) and the Deputy Course Coordinator (2006-2008) and the Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC where he served as the Director of the Drill Instructor School (2013-2015) and the Commanding Officer of First Recruit Training Battalion (2021-2023).
Colonel Rock’s joint experience was with the Joint Staff as an Action Officer within Deputy Director for Global Operations (J-39) (2016-2019)
Colonel Rock is a graduate of the Expeditionary Warfare School (2009), the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Quantico, VA (2016), and the Marine Corps War College (2025). Additional military education includes Advanced Communication Officers Course; he holds a Master of Strategic Studies and a Master of Military Studies from Marine Corps University. His personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Gold Stars, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal with two Gold Stars.
Col Michael Rock, USMC, a Ground Officer, has held command at every level through Battalion Command. He has had multiple deployments to the Middle East and throughout Africa. He also has served in both I and II MEFs where he held multiple operational billets in both the Division and Command Element of the MAGTF.