L. Scott Rice

Lieutenant General Leon Scott Rice (born 27 May 1958) is the former director of the Air National Guard.[2][3] He previously served as The Adjutant General (TAG) and Commander of the Massachusetts National Guard and as an assistant to Gen Mark A. Welsh III, former commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe. Rice has also served as commander of USAF Forces deployed for United States Central Command in the Middle East Area of Operations. He is a Boeing 777 first officer flying for United Airlines (though currently on a military leave of absence) in Washington Dulles International Airport.[1][4][5] On 3 April 2012 he was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick as The Adjutant General (TAG) of the Massachusetts National Guard and reappointed as The Adjutant General by Governor Charles Baker on 12 May 2015. Rice retired from the U.S. Air Force on 1 August 2020 after over 40 years of service.[4]

Leon Scott Rice
Lieutenant General Leon Scott Rice
Nickname(s)"Catfish"[1]
Born (1958-05-27) 27 May 1958
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1980–2020
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldUnited States Air National Guard
Massachusetts National Guard
Massachusetts Air National Guard
Battles/warsKosovo War
Iraq War
AwardsAir Force Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Other workPilot for United Airlines

Early life

Rice was born 27 May 1958 to Leon Harold Rice (1919–2002) and Margery Ann (Miller) Rice (1918–2005) in Bedford, New Hampshire; a military family with his mother serving as a captain during WWII in the Army Nurse Corps, and eventually becoming in 1990 a Commander of the Department of New Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars.[6] Rice is a direct descendant of Edmund Rice, an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony.[7][nb 1] Rice attended local public schools and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1972.[4]

Career

Rice was the director of the Air National Guard, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, plans and programs affecting more than 105,500 Guard members and civilians in more than 90 wings and 175 geographically separated units across 213 locations throughout the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Rice was commissioned in 1980 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York and graduated from undergraduate pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas in 1982. He is a command pilot with more than 4,300 hours in the F-111 and A-10. Before assuming his current position, General Rice served as The Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard, responsible for commanding units of the Air and Army National Guard.

He has served in various operational and staff assignments, including commander of US Air Force Forces deployed to Middle East locations under the United States Central Command; where, from 1995 to 2006, he was mobilized and deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Pakistan. He has commanded a squadron, operations group, and fighter wing. He previously served as the assistant adjutant general for air, and commander of Massachusetts Air National Guard, chairman of the Air Guard Force Structure and Modernization committee of the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS), as the association's secretary, as a member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board for the Department of Defense, and has served on several General Officer Steering Committees for the National Guard.

Rice was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as director of the Air National Guard by Barack Obama on 4 April 2016. This nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on 28 April 2016.[9] He assumed the position of Director of the Air National Guard on 10 May 2016.[2] In August 2020, Colorado National Guard Adjutant General Michael A. Loh succeeded Rice as director.[10]

Education
1980 Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering, Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
1981 Master of Science in Industrial Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
2000 Air War College, by correspondence
2009 Harvard University, National and International Security Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2009 George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
2010 George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
2010 Capstone Military Leadership Program, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, District of Columbia
2011 Senior Reserve Component Officer Course, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
2011 Combined Force Air Component Commanders Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama
2011 Harvard University, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, [Cambridge, Massachusetts]
2012 Syracuse University, National Security Studies, [Syracuse, New York]
2015 Harvard University, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, [Cambridge, Massachusetts]

Assignments
  1. May 1981 – May 1982, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas
  2. May 1982 – July 1982, student, AT-38B Lead-In Training Course, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
  3. July 1982 – January 1983, student, F-111 United States Air Force Operation Training Course, Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico
  4. January 1983 – November 1984, aircraft commander, F-111, 493rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
  5. November 1984 – October 1985, instructor aircraft commander, F-111, 493rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
  6. October 1985 – December 1985, student, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
  7. December 1985 – May 1986, student, F-111 Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
  8. May 1986 – April 1987, chief of weapons and tactics/instructor pilot, F-111, 493rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England
  9. April 1987 – April 1988, instructor pilot, F-111, 391st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
  10. April 1988 – November 1989, chief of Wing Weapons Section, 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho
  11. November 1989 – January 1992, pilot, A-10, 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  12. February 1992 – December 1994, pilot, A-10, 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  13. December 1994 – December 1995, assistant flight commander of 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  14. December 1995 – June 1997, instructor pilot, A-10, 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  15. June 1997 – June 1998, commander of Operations Support Flight, 131st Fighter Squadron, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  16. June 1998 – September 1999, commander of Operations Support Flight, 104th Operations Support Flight, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  17. June 2002 – April 2004, commander of 104th Operations Group, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
  18. May 2004 – July 2007, director of operations, J2, Massachusetts Joint Force Headquarters, Massachusetts National Guard, Milford, Massachusetts
  19. July 2007 – September 2010, assistant adjutant general-air, Massachusetts National Guard, Milford, Massachusetts
  20. September 2010 – present, chief of staff, Massachusetts Air National Guard, Milford, Massachusetts;[11] dual hatted, February 2010 – February 2011, (A-6), assistant to the director, Air National Guard; dual-hatted, March 2011 – present, assistant to the commander of United States Air Forces Europe
  21. April 2012 – May 2016, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts
  22. May 2016 – August 2020, director of the Air National Guard, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Awards and decorations
US Air Force Command Pilot Badge
Headquarters Air Force Badge
National Guard Bureau Organizational Badge
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters
 Aerial Achievement Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Army Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor device and silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
 Combat Readiness Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Air Force Recognition Ribbon
 National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
 Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze service star
 Kosovo Campaign Medal with bronze service star
 Iraq Campaign Medal with bronze service star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal
 Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon with bronze oak leaf cluster
Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold frame
Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver Hourglass device, "M" device and bronze award numeral 3
 Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with bronze service star
Air Force Training Ribbon
 NATO Medal for the Former Yugoslavia with bronze service star
 Massachusetts Air National Guard Service Medal with bronze service star
Massachusetts Desert Storm Service Ribbon
Massachusetts Defense Expeditionary Ribbon
Massachusetts Emergency Service Ribbon
Louisiana Emergency Service Medal

Other achievements
1972 Eagle Scout
2005 George W. Bush Award for Leadership in the Guard/Reserve

Effective dates of promotion
Promotions[3]
InsigniaRankDate
Lieutenant generalMay 4, 2016
Major generalDecember 23, 2010
Brigadier generalJuly 24, 2007
ColonelJune 15, 2003
Lieutenant colonelSeptember 9, 1998
MajorNovember 18, 1992
CaptainNovember 18, 1984
First lieutenantNovember 18, 1982
Second lieutenantMay 17, 1980

References
Notes
  1. The descendancy of Gen. Rice from Edmund Rice is as follows: Edmund Rice (1594–1663); Thomas Rice (1626–1681); Thomas Rice (1654–1747); Charles Rice (1684-?); Elijah Rice (1719–1785); Elijah Rice (1750–1805); Isaac Rice (1784–1876); Hiram Rice (1816–1894); John Henry Rice (1863–1951); Leon Hiram Rice (1890–1980); Leon Harold Rice (1919–2002); Maj. Gen. Leon Scott Rice (b. 1958).[8]
Citations
  1. "Catfish balancing on a stool with different legs". National Guard News 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 1 Nov 2011.
  2. John E. Hillier (11 May 2016). "Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice assumes helm as Air Guard director". Air National Guard. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. "Lieutenant General L. Scott Rice" (PDF). Air National Guard. 25 May 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  4. "Major General L. Scott Rice". United States Air Force, National Guard Bureau, General Officer Management Office. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 30 Oct 2011.
  5. "Citizen soldier L. Scott Rice, of Southampton, leads Massachusetts Air National Guard". by Cynthia Simison, MassLive.com 10 Nov 2010. Retrieved 31 Oct 2011.
  6. "Margery Rice Obituary 27 May 2005". GazetteNet.com (Daily Hampshire Gazette). Retrieved 30 Nov 2011.
  7. Descendants of Edmund Rice:The First Nine Generations (2011). Edmund Rice (1638) Association.
  8. p.1318 In: Ray Lowther Ellis (ed.), 1970. A Genealogical Register of Edmund Rice Descendants. Edmund Rice (1638) Association and The Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont.
  9. "PN1293 — Maj. Gen. Leon S. Rice — Air Force". United States Congress. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  10. "General Officer Announcements". United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  11. "U.S. Sen. Scott Brown to speak at annual veterans' breakfast in West Springfield". MassLive.com 5 Nov 2010. Retrieved 30 Oct 2011.
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