21-07-2025
Former USAF Lt. Col. Larry Brock Jr. speaks to Amarillo Republicans
The oldest Republican Club in Amarillo held a kick-off celebration leading up to the 250th anniversary of the United States with a patriotic 'Celebrate Freedom' event Thursday evening, July 17, at Starlight Ranch.
Among dignitaries at the event were State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, State Sen. Kevin Sparks, R-Midland, and later, State Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo, as well as Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley.
The group brought in retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Brock, Jr., a former A-10 pilot who served more than 20 years in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, as well as other turbulent areas. Brock is a Texas native, father, Christian and self-described lifelong patriot.
Festivities at the Amarillo fundraiser included food trucks, music, dancing and family-friendly games.
Connie Brown, president of Amarillo (Women's) Republicans, said that instead of the annual picnic, they thought they would host a community event. 'We had met Mr. Brock at other events and thought his story was quite interesting, so we just decided to do that and the thing kind of grew," she said. "We thought, let's make it fun and have miniature golf and cornhole and playground for the kids and have it at the Moon Palace at Starlight Ranch."
'Then we brought in music and thought, well, we could do dancing, too," Brown added. "We wanted to be with good people and talk about conservative values of the Panhandle along with other things, and his story is very interesting.'
Men now included in Amarillo (Women's) Republican Club
Brown said that recently the Amarillo Republican Women started to bring men into the tribe, although they've always been at meetings.
"They now have the ability to serve on the board and work with us, because we just really cherish every individual that wants to help in conservative causes, and they bring a lot to the table," Brown said.
'What we do is to educate and inspire," Brown added. "We have Texas Supreme Court Justice James D. Blaylock coming in, and he'll be speaking on issues that affect all of us. We have all our district judges who are going to do a panel here in a few weeks and speak on a issue that is confusing to a lot of us, 'deferred judication,' and why that's a better way to go sometimes. Recently, we had Randall County Judge Christy Dyer speak and tell us what all the county judge does. Our 47th District Potter Court Judge Dee Johnson spoke a while back and explained the process for judges and what levels there are."
Sparks said it's important that communities are engaged in the political process.
"So I drove up from Midland this afternoon, not just for this community, but to my whole Senate district. We're going to talk about politics for a little bit, but they've got a great keynote speaker tonight,' he said ahead of the event. 'Obviously we're going into a special session starting next week. So, this is an opportunity to socialize with folk, so I'm thankful they plan plenty of time to visit.'
'So God has provided us with a great evening for this,' Sparks said.
Brock Jr. talks about experiences, announces run for legislature
'Amarillo Republic Women's Club invited me to come and speak about my experiences as a military officer in combat, but more they want to hear about my time as a political prisoner of the illegitimate and criminal Biden regime,' Brock Jr. said before the speech.
Brock Jr. was sentenced and imprisoned for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot and served 372 days in federal custody, including 131 days in solitary confinement.
'I am a born-again Christian, and Romans: 8:28 governs my life. I believe this experience was to set a course correction in my own heart and get me back into the Bible, but more importantly, to keep me focused on public service because I was moving into just running my own company, minding my own business and doing things," Brock Jr. said. "I believe God used this ill opportunity to try and refocus me on the things He wanted."
'Now I intend to run for the Texas Legislature, and I intend to win," he said. Brock Jr. announced he is running against State Rep. Jared Patterson from the 106th District, noting HB 106, which regards authorization of a penalty relating to maintenance of overhead electrical power lines associated with oil and gas development.
"I think we need real conservatives with real values in the Texas House, and that's where I want to be. We have some, but we need about 10 more," Brock Jr. said.
In speaking about the Jan. 6 events, Brock Jr. said, 'It was a very, very cold day. By the time I got to the Capitol, all the ski fencing had been removed by an unindicted man. All the barriers had been removed. I saw absolutely no violence as I walked right by four Capitol Policemen in open doors. While I was inside the Capitol, and this is all documented on my website and in court records … I picked up trash."
'I actually protected a police officer at one point, though I didn't know he was a police officer," he added. "I saw a man in black chasing an African-American gentleman in a coat and tie and I got in between them, put my arms out. Officer Nairobi Timberlake (sergeant at the U.S. Capitol) testified in my trial that I had protected both him and his partner."
'After that, I went on to the Senate floor, told the man to get out of Vice President Pence's chair,' he said. 'Then when I was going to leave, you can see me (in footage) put my arms around a man that was confronting the police as well. So, my actions were entirely peaceful, but it didn't fit the FBI's narrative."
Brock Jr. said the FBI dug into his private conversations with military personnel and found one where they were talking about a hypothetical situation. "I honestly did nothing to merit two years in jail," he said.
'However, I will freely admit, I should have known better not to go into the building, but my actions other than that were pure," Brock Jr. said.
He was given a two-year sentence, but the Supreme Court later threw out the felony conviction. He said, 'God worked for the good and I'm in a unique position of being pardoned for crimes I now technically did not commit. On the 20th, I received a pardon from President Trump and on the 23rd, because an appeal was pending, all charges were dropped. So technically, I was never convicted of anything even though I spent time in a jail.'
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Republicans hear from Larry Brock Jr. at 'Celebrate Freedom'
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