Battle of Kwajalein
La Rocque was born in Kankakee, Illinois, in 1918 and began his naval service in 1940. When the attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out, he was serving on the USS "Macdonough". He participated in 13 major battles during World War II and worked for seven years in the Strategic Plans Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the Battle of Kwajalein, he was the first man to go ashore in the landings at Roi-Namur.