MORE TESTIMONIALS

SUBJECT: Letter of Recommendation Mr. Shurd Rice


1. Please consider this letter as my highest endorsement of Mr. Shurd Rice as a candidate for your organization. Mr. Rice has demonstrated his technical expertise and calm delivery under pressure as an aviator in two tours of combat. He is unquestionably among the very best of aviation professionals I have had the pleasure to serve with in 16 years of active duty. Mr. Rice will not only be an asset to any team he is assigned, he will quickly bubble to the top as a leader in your organization. His record speaks clearly for itself.

2. Mr. Rice was awarded the Air Medal with Valor for his aviation missions while assigned to US Army Special Operations in Afghanistan. These missions, simply stated, were executed in the most demanding conditions our aviation world has to offer: rugged mountainous terrain with peaks in excess of the Blackhawk’s service ceiling, night vision goggle missions under a black desert sky, and all executed in an environment with no IFR support structure. The mission for which Mr. Rice was awarded the Air Medal with Valor was the type of mission that we all train for and hope that we don’t fold under when we are faced with it: a night rooftop extraction of Special Forces Soldiers- under fire. This was one example, one example among the 148 combat sorties flown during his tour as part of Operation Enduring Freedom V, Afghanistan.

3. Additionally, Mr. Rice was awarded the Bronze Star for his leadership as his company’s Maintenance Test Pilot while serving during combat operations in Iraq. His responsibilities included final signature authority and release for flight for 12 UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters, senior technical inspector for his assigned aircraft, and supervisor for 14 aviation maintenance personnel. His technical expertise resulted in consistent ‘fully mission capable’ readiness ratings for his assigned aircraft, and 100% of his assigned aircraft returned successfully from their combat sorties.

4. Mr. Rice is uniquely qualified for nearly any aviation position. His education began early, under the mentorship of his father, an SR-71 Blackbird pilot, then honed through the US Army’s Rotary Wing and Maintenance Test Pilot courses. This officer was then tested under fire during two combat aviation tours, and emerged on the other side a decorated aviation leader- loved and respected by peers and superiors alike. This leader will achieve any goal he sets for himself and should be challenged with positions requiring the best in your organization.



SHANNON D. BECKETT
MAJ, MS
Division AeromedicalEvacuationOfficer
Tikrit, Iraq