Mississippi Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major Plez William “Trey” Summers III, of Brookhaven, has died.

MSNG made the official announcement Monday, June 17. Summers died at home with his family in the early morning hours of Friday, June 14. He had served as installation command sergeant major for Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Hattiesburg since January 2023. He served more than 36 years in the military.

Funeral visitation is scheduled for Summers on Friday, June 21, 9-11 a.m. at Riverwood Family Funeral Services in Brookhaven. Service will be at 11 a.m., followed by interment at Kees Cemetery, in Brookhaven.

After graduating Brookhaven High School, Summers enlisted in the NG in 1988. He served as infantry officer, executive officer, and a commanding officer in 1^st Battalion, 155^th Infantry Regiment, including a nearly eight-month mission in Bosnia as company commander of B/1-155 IN. He resigned his commission in October 2002 to accept an AGR training position as a non-commissioned officer with A/1-155 IN.

His first assignment as an enlisted soldier was serving as company master gunner in Company A, 1-155^th CAB. Quickly rising through the ranks and promoting to sergeant first class in May 2004, he served as the unit Readiness NCO for A/1-155 IN for a few months before deploying as a Platoon Sergeant in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2004 through January 2006. Summers served as 1st battalion’s Master Gunner from November 2006 until March 2015. Promoted to master sergeant in February 2008, he deployed again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as the First Sergeant of Company D, 1-155 IN while deployed.

Upon returning from his second combat deployment to Iraq, Summers continued his time as a Master Gunner in 1-155th, before becoming the Operations NCO for the MSARNG at Joint Force Headquarters, March 2015. He continued serving at JFH as a Training NCO, Operations/Exercise Training NCO, and Training NCOIC until his promotion to sergeant major in November 2018, becoming the Operations Sergeant Major for 66th Troop Command.

In October 2019, Summers was selected to lead 1/155th IN as the Command Sergeant Major until May 2021 when he moved to north Mississippi to serve as the 155th ABCT Operations Sergeant Major. In less than two short years, he was appointed as the Command Sergeant Major of Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Jan. 18, 2023.

His military education includes Basic Training, Infantry Officers Basic Course, Infantryman Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Bradley Master Gunner Course (Honor Graduate), Range Operations Course, Level II Range Safety Course, and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.

A 1986 BHS graduate, Summers earned a football scholarship to play for the Choctaws of Mississippi College in Clinton. He was a member of the 1989 Division II National Champion Football Team and graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education with a minor in Criminal Justice.

CSM Summers’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with 1 bronze oak leaf, Meritorious Service Medal with 1 bronze oak leaf, Army Commendation Medal with a 4 bronze oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal with 3 knot device, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal with 1 bronze star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with 1 campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with silver hourglass and mobilization device, NCO Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 5, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, NATO Medal, Mississippi Magnolia Medal with a 2 bronze oak leaf cluster, Mississippi Medal of Efficiency, Mississippi War Medal with 1 bronze star, Mississippi Emergency Service Medal, Mississippi Longevity Medal with a 4 bronze oak leaf cluster, Navy Unit Commendation, Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Master Gunner Badge, and the Order of St. Maurice.

Summers lived in Brookhaven with his wife of 22 years, Amy. They have one son and two daughters, Jordan, Josephine and Annabelle.