Jesse Wrice’s adult life has been marked by his service to his country and those who live here. A powerful symbol of that service now is displayed in the nation’s capital for thousands of people to see.
He and his family settled in Peachtree City in 2002 when he was still in the military. His chosen profession, helicopter pilot, transferred into the private sector when he retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel. He now flies an EMS helicopter, delivering accident victims and other hospital patients to safety from all over the region.
Over the past two years he has donated a number of items to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened to the public in September of this year. One of those items, a dress uniform jacket, is now displayed in the museum’s military wing next to a portion of Gen. Colin Powell’s wardrobe. He also donated a midshipman uniform and another dress uniform, he said, opting to get some extended use from them instead of just letting them hang in his own closet.
“I heard that they needed artifacts and thought I could help them out,” he said. “It was an extreme blessing to be able to serve. Maybe this will motivate someone else to serve.”
He and his wife were able to attend a special pre-opening event at the Washington, D.C. museum, which has exhibits from the entertainment industry and all walks of life. U.S. Rep. John Lewis has contributed some items, Wrice said, clearly excited that his own items are in such company.
“It was pretty awesome, and very humbling to see something there that you donated,” he said. “There is so much to see. It’s so overwhelming.”
Married with a son and a daughter, he is an ordained minister who serves at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Peachtree City. When he returned home to Fayette County after the event, he didn’t tell anyone locally and decided not to make a fuss about it. He mentioned it to some special people in his hometown of Macon and that is where local media first learned of it. As one might expect, a number of people spoke very highly of Wrice when interviewed for a previous newspaper account.
When recounting his experiences, Wrice mentions over and over how he has appreciated the opportunities he has had. The son of an aircraft electrician and Air Force veteran, he took an aviation course in high school in Macon that made him want to choose that for a career. From there it was the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1983.
“I’m a grandson of a sharecropper and being blessed to even serve in the military,” he said. “If guys like the Tuskegee Airman hadn’t been forerunners I wouldn’t have had the chance to serve in the military. I’m thankful to God for that chance.”
Even now, in his current job, he thrives on the fact that every day is different but sometime during that day he will be helping someone.
“God has blessed,” he said. “I’ve been in car wrecks and things like that, so I like to be able to help others in those situations. I thank God for the opportunity to serve.”
