CW4 Melissa Rice has been in the Army National Guard for over 28 years. She joined the Vermont Army National Guard as a Finance Specialist in 1996 and later reclassed as a Human Resources Specialist. She attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and appointed as a Warrant Officer in 2009. Chief Rice graduated from the Adjutant General Warrant Officer Basic Course at Fort Jackson, SC as a 420A Human Resources Technician in 2010 before deploying to Afghanistan.
Her previous assignments include Brigade Human Resources Technician for the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Jericho, Vermont and Officer Personnel Manager for Joint Force Headquarters, Colchester, Vermont. CW4 Rice deployed with Task Force Green Mountain, Vermont Army National Guard, to Kuwait in 2004 and deployed with the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) to Afghanistan in 2010.
She grew up in Vermont and graduated from U-32 High School in East Montpelier, Vermont. She has studied at Trinity College of Vermont, Colorado Northwestern Community College, and the University of Vermont.
CW4 Rice is the Command Chief Warrant Officer for the Vermont Army National Guard. Full-time she is assigned to the Human Resources Office and serves as the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Manager. She is the mother of two children: Maddie (17) and Finn (11). CW4 Rice is building a new home in Topsham, Vermont with her fiancé Kevin and his children. They have a rescue dog from Texas named Pinky Lee and a cat named Hazel.
Her awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Silver Hourglass and “M” Device, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral “2”, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral “2”, and the NATO-ISAF Medal.