Secret Service Adds Michael Rice to Wall of Honor in Washington After 9/11 Recovery Work Leads to Fatal Cancer Years Later

The U.S. Secret Service will add former Special Agent in Charge Michael Rice to its Wall of Honor on May 8, 2026, recognizing his service, leadership, patriotism, and quiet professionalism.

Rice, who led the agency’s Nashville Field Office, died on January 11, 2019, from cancer linked to his work in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

9/11 Recovery Work Led to Long-Term Illness

After the attacks, Rice joined recovery efforts at the Fresh Kills landfill site in New York, where debris from the World Trade Center was taken for examination.

He helped sift through the wreckage in search of remains and materials connected to the Secret Service’s New York Field Office, which was destroyed during the attacks. Years later, his cancer was linked to that recovery work.

Rice Becomes the 41st Name Added to the Wall

The Secret Service’s Wall of Honor remembers employees who died in the line of duty. Rice will become the 41st Secret Service employee added to it.

His name will also be inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., placing him among other law enforcement personnel recognized for service-related sacrifice.

Family Remembers Him as Brave and Selfless

Rice’s wife, Patsy Rice, said her husband never hesitated when help was needed after 9/11. She recalled that he immediately traveled to assist in the recovery effort.

She described him as the bravest man she had ever met, someone who would step forward whenever others were in trouble. To her, courage and service were not simply part of his career — they were part of who he was.

From Vietnam Veteran to Secret Service Leader

Rice was born on July 30, 1951, in Jacksonville, Alabama, and later graduated from Jacksonville State University.

Before joining the Secret Service, he served in combat during the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne Division. He became a special agent in 1976, beginning his Secret Service career at the Jackson, Mississippi, Resident Office.

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A Career Spanning Multiple Major Assignments

Rice’s Secret Service career took him through several important postings. He served in the San Juan Resident Office, the Western Protective Division, the Tampa Field Office, the Intelligence Division, the Vice-Presidential Protective Division, and ultimately the Nashville Field Office.

The Western Protective Division included responsibility for protection at President Ronald Reagan’s California ranch. Rice retired from the agency on January 12, 2002.

Colleagues Praise His Calm Leadership

Those who worked with Rice remembered him as soft-spoken, steady, and deeply respected.

Retired Special Agent in Charge Ralph Gonzales, who worked with Rice in San Juan, said the two were like brothers. He described Rice as calm, professional, authoritative, and someone he wanted to emulate.

Nashville Team Saw Him as a Mentor

Sarah Beth Pulliam, who served as assistant special agent in charge under Rice in Nashville and later succeeded him, said he was trusted because of his competence, work ethic, and respect for the mission and personnel.

She said Rice could hold people accountable without alienating them and genuinely cared about the people who worked for him. According to Pulliam, many agents who began in Nashville later became successful agency leaders in part because of Rice’s commitment to developing them.

Former Agents Remember His Integrity

Retired Special Agent Carol Marks said Rice taught her the fundamentals of protection work during Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential campaign, where Rice served as her shift leader.

She remembered him as fair, patient, unbiased, and deeply principled. Another retired agent, Bruce Bowen, who shared a bond with Rice as a fellow Vietnam veteran, said Rice would never ask others to do something he would not do himself.

Impact and Consequences

Rice’s addition to the Wall of Honor formally recognizes the long-term sacrifices made by law enforcement officers and federal personnel who responded after 9/11. His death years later shows how the consequences of that day continued far beyond the immediate attack and recovery period.

For the Secret Service, the honor also preserves the memory of a leader who influenced generations of agents. His legacy is not only tied to one mission, but to decades of service, mentorship, and example-setting across multiple field offices and protective assignments.

What’s next?

The Secret Service will formally add Rice’s name to the Wall of Honor on May 8, 2026.

His name will also be placed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The ceremony is expected to honor his career, his 9/11 recovery service, and the impact he had on colleagues, family, and the wider agency.

Summary

Former Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Rice will be added to the agency’s Wall of Honor after his death from cancer linked to 9/11 recovery work.

Rice served in Vietnam before joining the Secret Service in 1976 and went on to hold major assignments in Mississippi, San Juan, California, Tampa, Washington, and Nashville.

Colleagues remembered him as calm, brave, professional, and deeply committed to developing others. His recognition on May 8, 2026, will make him the 41st Secret Service employee honored on the wall.

Bulleted Takeaways:

• The U.S. Secret Service will honor Michael Rice on May 8, 2026.
• Rice will be added to the agency’s Wall of Honor.
• He will be the 41st Secret Service employee listed on the wall.
• Rice died on January 11, 2019, from cancer linked to 9/11 recovery work.
• He worked at the Fresh Kills landfill site after the September 11 attacks.
• He helped search debris connected to the destroyed Secret Service New York Field Office.
• Rice also will be inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
• He was born in Jacksonville, Alabama, on July 30, 1951.
• He served in combat in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division.
• He joined the Secret Service as a special agent in 1976.
• His assignments included Jackson, San Juan, Tampa, the Intelligence Division, the Vice-Presidential Protective Division, and Nashville.
• He retired from the Nashville Field Office on January 12, 2002.
• Family and colleagues remembered him as brave, calm, professional, humble, and deeply respected.