CSM Sean Rice retires with 35 years of service

By Adriane ElliotMarch 17, 2023

(From left) Maj. Gen. (Retired) Rodney D. Fogg, former Army Materiel Command deputy chief of staff, G3, hosted the retirement ceremony of Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice.  Rice retired March 17 with 35 years of service.
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From left) Maj. Gen. (Retired) Rodney D. Fogg, former Army Materiel Command deputy chief of staff, G3, hosted the retirement ceremony of Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice. Rice retired March 17 with 35 years of service. (Photo Credit: Tim Hanson) VIEW ORIGINAL
Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice retires with 35 years of service during a March 17 ceremony at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice retires with 35 years of service during a March 17 ceremony at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. (Photo Credit: Tim Hanson) VIEW ORIGINAL
Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice retired with 35 years of 
 service during a March ceremony at Redstone Arsenal.
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice retired with 35 years of
service during a March ceremony at Redstone Arsenal. (Photo Credit: Tim Hanson )
VIEW ORIGINAL
Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice retired March 17 with 35 years of service during a ceremony at Redstone Arsenal.
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice retired March 17 with 35 years of service during a ceremony at Redstone Arsenal. (Photo Credit: Tim Hanson) VIEW ORIGINAL
(From right) Maj. Gen. (Retired) Rodney D. Fogg, former Army Materiel Command deputy chief of staff, G3, hosted the retirement ceremony of Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice.  Rice retired March 17 with 35 years of service.
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (From right) Maj. Gen. (Retired) Rodney D. Fogg, former Army Materiel Command deputy chief of staff, G3, hosted the retirement ceremony of Former USASAC Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice. Rice retired March 17 with 35 years of service. (Photo Credit: Tim Hanson) VIEW ORIGINAL

The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, friends and family gathered to bid farewell to USASAC’s former senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice, during a March 17 retirement ceremony at Redstone Arsenal.

Maj. Gen. (Retired) Rodney D. Fogg, former Army Materiel Command deputy chief of staff, G3, hosted the event as Rice retired with 35 years of service to the Army and nation.

Fogg, who served with Rice for two years at Fort Lee’s Quartermaster Center and School, kicked off the ceremony by describing Rice’s contagious smile and charismatic leadership, a brand of leadership that he called invaluable during their assignment together.

He listed Rice’s “incredible” work history,” including assignments and deployments to over 20 countries. Fogg also described to the audience the impact Rice had on individuals and units throughout the Army and all over the globe. Highlights ranged from his instrumental tenure as a drill sergeant to his spearheading the establishment of a military security assistance certification program.

“He was forward deployed at the leading edge of our (COVID-19) national response in New York and New Jersey,” said Fogg. “He was on ground at the height of the pandemic, establishing the first Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force and reconfiguring field hospitals with medical personnel and mortuary affairs.”

This concept, said Fogg, eventually spread across the Eastern United States, and it was this forward-thinking leadership that helped save lives and, with dignity, took care of those who passed away.

In closing, Fogg said, “of course, the story doesn’t end today. Today is a celebration, but the future is bright. Sean Rice will continue to “Be All He Can Be.”

Rice thanked Fogg for his kind words and for changing the course of his life. “If it had not been for your selection, who knows where we would be,” he said. He recalled his military career and discussed his plans for the next chapter of life.

“As I leave, I want to thank each and every one of you for the support and counsel you have provided me, that allowed me to “Be All I Can Be,” said Rice. “It was more than a slogan for me back in 1988. I took it to heart. And I prayed a lot that with each assignment, each opportunity that I would do just that, or give others the same counsel that was given to me, so they too could be better than they ever dreamed.

“I will continue to take pride in the achievements of our Army,” said Rice. “We are now, and forever, Soldiers For Life.”