Sgt. Eric Rice, with the Hamblen County Detention Center, has received a Patriot Award from the United States Department of Defense.

Rice received the distinguished honor after being nominated by Deputy Brandon Sandoval with the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office.

Sandoval serves as a Specialist (E-4) with the Tennessee Army National Guard and prior to his recent HCSO promotion, he was supervised by Rice in the Hamblen County Jail.

“Sgt. Rice has always supported and encouraged me as a member of the Army National Guard,” Sandoval said. “He would go out of his way to accommodate my schedule, sometimes even covering my shifts, himself.”

The Patriot Award recognizes those who go above and beyond in various capacities to support service men and women during drill trainings and deployments.

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