Glasscock receives medal

MEEKER I Brice Glasscock, an IT technician for Rio Blanco County and a Staff Sergeant in the 928th Area Support Medical Battalion (ASMC) National Guard Unit based in Montrose, Colo., was surprised when his commander, Major Ed McLean, presented him with the Meritorious Service Medal last weekend when he reported for training.
“It was special,” Glasscock said of the medal presentation in Montrose. “It was a drill weekend and I had no idea, it was a complete surprise.”
Glasscock first enlisted in the United States Army 82nd Airborne Infantry in 1988 and was deployed to Iraq as part of Desert Storm shortly after marrying his wife Dondi in 1990. Glasscock was inactive from 1991-1995 when he joined the National Guard and was again deployed to Iraq with the C109th ASMB for six months before becoming inactive again in 2001.
Glasscock joined the National Guard again in 2006, returning from a one-year tour in Afghanistan in February 2012.
“Serving my country is the big one, I miss the camaraderie and brotherhood,” Glasscock said of his continued service in the National Guard. “Once it’s in your blood, it’s hard to get rid of.”
Glasscock says he spends one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer as a “citizen soldier.”
“Some people don’t realize, the National Guard is actually the oldest branch of the military, founded in the 1630s to protect the citizens from our own government,” Glasscock said. “I believe in the federal and state mission and it was the dual mission that first attracted me to the National Guard. I get to help local nationals and citizens of the state I live in.”
Glasscock, who reenlisted for another six years, was humbled by the honor of receiving the Meritorious Service Medal.
“I would do it with or without the award but it’s nice to be recognized,” Glasscock said. “You never know who is watching and it’s nice to know I’m doing a good job.”