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Buckley Space Force Base John Levitow Recipient Class 23-D

By Airman 1st Class Shaun Combs, Space Base Delta 2 / Published May 11, 2023

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Sgt. Andrew Rice, NCOIC of Current Operations with the 2d Space Warning squadron, is the recipient of the John Levitow award out of Airman Leadership School class 23-D Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., May 9, 2023. The John Levitow award is currently the highest honor presented to a graduate of Air Force Enlisted Professional Military Education. To be eligible for this award, a graduate must rank in the top 1% of their class. (U.S. Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Shaun Combs)

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BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo., --

Sgt. Andrew Rice, NCOIC of Current Operations with the 2d Space Warning squadron, is the recipient of the John Levitow award out of Airman Leadership School class 23-D Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., May 9, 2023.

The John Levitow award is currently the highest honor presented to a graduate of Air Force Enlisted Professional Military Education. To be eligible for this award, a graduate must rank in the top 1% of their class.

Moundsville, West Virginia is where Rice largely grew up. Having now been stationed at Buckley for 3 years, he reminisced on his motivation to initially join, as well as what encourages him to keep adding to the United States Space Force.

“My motivation to join the military stems from my father who served in the Army, as well as wanting to travel and the chance to afford education,” Rice said. “My motivation to stay in the Space Force is due to my love for our missile warning and tracking mission and being a part of something greater than myself.”

Outside of the uniform, Rice has a passion for music. He uses it as an outlet for any stressors in his life and can play several instruments. His next major step in his life is preparing for USAF Weapons School!

ALS is a course that grants individuals the opportunity to learn and grow as leaders, developing new identities as members of the NCO corps.

“The ALS experience as a whole was humbling, challenging me outside of the Space Professional setting that I’m used to,” said Rice. “My two biggest takeaways from ALS are the importance of character and connection. Learning how to effectively work with people and understand them allows me to lead my unit’s members to success.”

Alongside the course, earning the Levitow Award has netted Rice some exciting internal discoveries.

“For me, earning the Levitow Award is a reassurance of my leadership capabilities,” stated Rice. “It gives me confidence in my ability to be effective when leading my unit and my future troops at 2 SWS. It gives me the trust in myself that I am doing the right things to be successful.”

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