Lexington native Nathan Price, currently of Lugoff, South Carolina, will be retiring from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service.
Price was born to Dondi Price of Lexington and Beth Forcade of Omaha. He grew up in Lexington but moved to Omaha before his sophomore year of high school. He graduated from Omaha Westside High School in 2003.
“I am very proud of him for what he has accomplished for, not just me, but for our entire country, Dondi Price said. “It means a lot to fight for our country. I am glad he got his 20 years done and that he is back on American soil for good. I’m so excited for what he has planned for his family and their future.”
After high school graduation, Price enlisted in the Army as a cavalry scout. He attended One Station Unit Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, graduating in November 2003. His first duty station was at Fort Carson, Colorado.
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While stationed at Fort Carson, Price met his future wife, Lauren Taylor, in Colorado Springs in 2006. The couple wed in January 2007 in Minnesota, Taylor’s home state. They have three children, Torin, 14, Raina, 9, and Kenna, 5.
In 2009, Price reclassified as an air defense battle management system operator and currently serves in that position with the 2503d Digital Liaison Detachment.
Price has had many job titles throughout his 20 years in service including Bradley driver and gunner, 1st Squadron 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment; squad leader and section chief, 10th Cavalry Regiment; early warning section sergeant; air and missile defense operations sergeant; and recruiter.
He is retiring as a sergeant first class. The ceremony was held Aug. 10 in South Carolina; however, Price’s retirement date is set for Nov. 30.
“The ceremony was very noble and dignified.” said Kami Price, his stepmother. “It was amazing to see their time served, overseas deployments recognized and all their awards. The presentation of the folded American flag given to each retiree was wonderful. They acknowledged their families and their children for the support they gave throughout their military careers. It was just beautiful.”
Over his 20 years of service, Price has been presented with many military awards and decorations. Those include two Meritorious Service medals, six Army Commendation medals, four Army Achievement medals, six Army Good Conduct medals, National Defense Service medal, Afghanistan Campaign medal, four Iraq Campaign medals, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary medal, Global War on Terrorism Service medal, three NCO Professional Development awards, Army Service Ribbon, four Overseas Service Ribbons, NATO medal, Recruiting Badge, Combat Action Badge, Expert Marksmanship Badge, and the Driver and Mechanic Badge. Unit awards include Joint Meritorious Unity award, Valorous Unit award, three Meritorious Unit Citation awards and an Army Superior Unit award.
Price served five deployments overseas: Iraq from February 2004 to March 2004, March 2005 to February 2006, and February 2010 to January 2011; Afghanistan from March 2012 to March 2013; and Korea from November 2018 to November 2019.
Price’s military education includes Basic Leader Course, Unit Armorer, Air Defense Artillery High to Medium Air Defense, Combat Lifesaver, Advanced Leader Course, Operations Security, Senior Leader Course, Joint Firepower and Control Course, Battle Staff, Army Recruiting Course, Master Resilience Course, Mission Command Digital Master Gunner and Master Leader Course.
After retirement, Price and his family will reside in South Carolina. He plans to get his Class A CDL license and is currently doing an internship with a landscaping company.
Forcade said, “I couldn’t be more proud of the selfless service Nate has given to this country in time of war and beyond. He’s raising a beautiful family, alongside his supportive wife, Lauren. (That) is another accomplishment that is just as important, and even more impressive with the amount of time spent away for duty. I’m happy for them all, as in his retirement, there will be many opportunities going forward to make even more memories together in the next chapter of their lives.”
Price’s grandfather, Fay Maloley, was a Korean War veteran and his uncle, Michael Maloley, is a veteran of the Army National Guard.
