Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Rice

Military Science Instructor, Army ROTC

A native of Junction City, Kansas, Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Rice enlisted in the Army in 2004. Upon graduating from One Station Unit Training and Airborne School he served as a lower enlisted paratrooper in Bravo Company 3/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment. After modularity of the Army in 2005 SFC Rice was transferred to RSTA Company 5/73. There he held the positions of Infantry Scout and RTO. SFC Rice was honored with a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan in which he held the duty positions of PSD and CJTF82 RTO with the HHC of the 82^nd Airborne Division. His second deployment was with 1-2 SCR from Vilseck, Germany. SFC Rice led soldiers in combat as a team leader and squad leader through Kandahar, Afghanistan. His other assignments include: JBLM (Observer Controller), Ft. Campbell (Weapons Squad Leader), JBER (Instructor), JBLM (Platoon Sergeant). His military education includes SSD 1-3, Airborne School, Sling Load Inspector Course, Air Assault School, Cold Weather Leaders Course, Master Resiliency Trainer, Master Fitness Trainer, Combat Life Saver, Combatives Level 1-2, and CFDIC, among others. His awards and decorations include three Army Commendation Medals, eight Army Achievement Medals, and an Army Superior Unit Award. He has earned his Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Driver/Mechanic Badge, and Senior Instructor badge.