Family brought him to Fort Dodge.

Brockbank, 74, spent nearly 40 years serving the country, from combat missions in Vietnam to working in intelligence for the military.

Now he spends his time as a grandpa in Iowa.

Brockbank began his service in 1970, flying KC-135 Stratotankers in the Air Force until 1975. He then began a career with the National Guard, flying helicopters in both Utah and Colorado.

He retired from military and civil service in 2008 and just recently moved to Fort Dodge after his son, Wyatt, took a job teaching at Fort Dodge Senior High School.

Brockbank’s service took him around the world. He served in Spain, England, Iceland, Guam, the Philippines, Japan and Alaska just to name a few. He worked to refuel aircraft during the Vietnam war.

“I’ve had some interesting experiences,” he said. “When I was flying Cobra helicopters, we used to play the bad guys for the Marines in Yuma, Arizona. They would launch their aircraft and try to find us. We would ‘kill’ them all. Jets just can’t compete with helicopters in hilly areas. We taught them some things about protecting themselves in those situations.”

Most of Brockbank’s service was working refueling missions. He would work some stationary refueling missions, but spent a lot of time refueling aircraft that were inflight.

“We would do a probe-and-drogue, which is using a long hose with a basket at the end to refuel aircraft. We would escort a lot of planes across the Atlantic. We’d have a seven-hour flight, and every now and then, aircraft would come up and take a drink.”

Brockbank said some of the F-4 Phantom fighter planes he would help refuel took about 4,000 gallons, which would only take about 10 minutes to complete. He said the B-52 bombers offered a bigger challenge since they took over 400,000 pounds of fuel themselves.

In the last few months of his service in the Air Force, Brockbank worked in intelligence. He was the only KC-135 pilot who had clearance to study bomber formations for nuclear war. He then trained others in the Air Force.

Brockbank married his high school sweetheart, Susan (Calderwood), in November 1967. He graduated from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, in 1970 and also studied aeronautics at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. He retired from service completely in 2008.

This summer he and his wife chose to move to Fort Dodge from Ogden, Utah, and they’re quickly learning all the area has to offer.

They have a tandem bicycle and have discovered the trail system in Fort Dodge. Brockbank also enjoys rock climbing and camping.

“Wyatt attended the University of Iowa for his doctorate and really liked Iowa,” Brockbank said. “It’s been nice to spend time with the kids and grandkids. We are learning about this area. We’ve found a lot of trails we like to ride.”

Brockbank and his wife have four children, their son Wyatt and daughters Marisa, Jennilyn, and Elena.