<p>When soldiers face battle, what can they expect from those with the authority to lead them? In 1968, as a cadet, <em>William Joseph “Bill” Rice</em> went to the Normandy American Cemetery to visit the grave of his uncle, for whom he was named. It was there, overlooking Omaha Beach, that he confronted this question and formed his concept of his responsibility as an officer.<br />Born in St. Louis, MO on the eve of the Fourth of July 1947, William Joseph Rice seemed destined to be a patriotic fellow. The son of Robert Trauernicht Rice, who had served in the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific during World War II, and Elizabeth Smith Rice, Bill was surrounded by a family steeped in love of the United States. Growing up in the Dog Town section of St. Louis, Bill skated on the Forest Park Art Hill pond and umpired baseball games there. He was the loving older brother to Phyllis and Richard. He was a bugler in his elementary school drum and bugle corps and delivered newspapers in the rain, sleet and snow—great training for West Point! At Southwest High School, Bill was regularly on the honor roll, a member of the Student Council, captain of the football team, and on the varsity basketball team. An Eagle Scout, he maintained a lifelong commitment to Scouting. Honored to receive an appointment to the Class of 1969, he made many lifelong friendships among his classmates. Serious by nature, Bill wore his gravitas lightly and could raise morale with a word of encouragement or a good joke. As a yearling, he and his roommates set about poking fun at the system by stacking the aspirin in its bottle each week for room inspection. For this feat, they were awarded “Room of the Week” and chuckles all around. Suffering a serious knee injury playing intramural football, but committed to remaining in the Army, he was granted alternative PT. He served on active duty for 27 years, though the effects of the injury remained throughout his life. <br />Bill branched Field Artillery. His first assignment was Dachau, West Germany, where his BOQ had been occupied during World War II by the German SS troops who ran that infamous concentration camp. Luckily, being the moveable bachelor, he was soon off to Ansbach, Herzogenaurach and Augsburg before he and Suzanne married in 1972. Despite having only two years in service, Bill was responsible for nuclear-capable, 8-inch howitzers. Orders to Vietnam arrived the day he returned from his honeymoon. The war ended first and, instead, he went to Korea; Suzanne followed, unsponsored, and became the coordinator of the GED program for Camp Stanley soldiers. Graduate school at Washington University produced a master’s degree in systems science and math, as well as their first daughter, Lesley, born in her Dad’s hometown. While Bill served four years in the math department at West Point, Bill and Suzanne welcomed their second daughter, Meredith. He was the scorekeeper for the new USMA women’s basketball team and earned an MBA while renewing friendships with over one hundred 1969 classmates stationed there at the time. He apprenticed himself to another math “P,” an expert woodworker, learning a skill that would bring him much satisfaction for the rest of his life. Through the years, he made furniture for every room in the Rice home.<br />In his second assignment in Germany, Bill fielded a new Field Artillery system called TacFire for the Third Infantry Division, which became the model for other divisions. At Fort Lewis, WA, he commanded the Army’s only Light Artillery and Rocket (MLRS) Battalion, 1-84 FA. Their son, Christopher, joined the Rice family “command team” in 1988. Twice the custodian of the Division Salute Battery (2nd and 9th Infantry Divisions), Bill was honored to present numerous 21-gun salutes and “play” the cannons during the 1812 Overture for several Fourth of July celebrations. Bill was selected to attend School for Advanced Military Studies War College, where he was first a student and then an instructor. In his final assignment, chief of plans and training and later G-3 of Third U.S. Army at Fort McPherson, GA, he planned and executed the successful U.S. humanitarian mission in Somalia and became an expert on Southwest Asia. After retiring in 1996, Bill spent 12 years as a defense contractor developing, building and fielding the Army’s first mobile command post—just in time for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as the War on Terror began.<br />In 2008, Bill joined the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, where he helped create their much-needed contingency planning protocols. He was hard at work on this project in June 2008 when he was taken from us while working out in the CDC gym. Bill rests among heroes in Arlington. <br />We remember Bill as a man of commitment to his faith, his family, his friends, and his duty—whether military or civilian, personal or public. Bill was a man of humility, never seeking the spotlight and always pleased to recognize others’ good work. He was a man of integrity, always the same man at home as in uniform, at work or with friends. He always chose the harder right and never the easier wrong. Bill understood that nothing good comes without determination and persistence. He was mentally and physically tough and disciplined. Well Done, brother! Be Thou at Peace.</p>