Bill Text: VA HR277 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Command Sergeant Major Mack F. Rice, Sr., USA, Ret.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-04 - Bill text as passed House (HR277ER) [HR277 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR277-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Command Sergeant Major Mack F. Rice, Sr., USA, Ret., an honorable veteran and beloved member of the Hampton community, died on December 18, 2023; and
WHEREAS, a native of Denmark, South Carolina, Mack Rice enlisted with the United States Army in August 1959 and went on to serve his country with honor and distinction for the next 30 years; and
WHEREAS, Mack Rice began his military career with the 2nd Infantry Brigade and would later serve as a senior drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Georgia, and be deployed with a Military Assistance Command, Vietnam team during the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, after returning from Vietnam, Mack Rice served as a drill sergeant at what is now Fort Johnson in Louisiana before being selected to attend the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, which he graduated from in 1976; and
WHEREAS, Mack Rice carried out assignments in Long Beach, California, and Fort Riley, Kansas before he was promoted to the rank of command sergeant major; and
WHEREAS, after serving as command sergeant major of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Commandant, 8th Infantry Division at the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy in Baumholder, Germany, Mack Rice returned to the United States in 1984 to serve as post command sergeant major at Fort Monroe; and
WHEREAS, in his last assignment, Mack Rice was selected to serve as the first-ever commandant of the newly created Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Fort Monroe, helping to shape the trajectory of the U.S. Army Cadet Command's continued impact on the nation's military; and
WHEREAS, Mack Rice received several awards and decorations in recognition of his valor and service, including the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Air Medal; and
WHEREAS, following his military service, Mack Rice worked tirelessly for what was formerly the Southland Corporation as a regional operations and unit manager for 20 years until his full retirement; and
WHEREAS, Mack Rice gave generously of his time in support of his fellow veterans by volunteering at the military pharmacy at the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton; and
WHEREAS, Mack Rice will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife of 51 years, Elizabeth; his children, Barbara, Mack, Jr., Hakim, Rochelle, and Monique, and their families; his first wife, Anna; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Command Sergeant Major Mack F. Rice, Sr., USA, Ret., a cherished member of the Hampton community whose legacy of service is an inspiration to all; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Command Sergeant Major Mack F. Rice, Sr., USA, Ret., as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.
