October 12, 2022: Robert Riggle Jr.
Robert Riggle Jr. was born in 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky, before moving to Kansas when he was two years old. He began acting in television and radio while attending Shawnee Mission South High School. He also attained his pilot’s license while earning his degree at the University of Kansas.
Riggle joined the Marine Corps in 1990 with the intention of becoming a naval aviator, but eventually left flight school to pursue comedy. He served in active duty for nine years before joining the Reserve, where he became a public affairs officer. As part of the command element and, due to his military occupational specialty, Riggle served in a variety of units, including the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, United States Central Command, 3rd Battalion and 5th Special Forces Group. His service led him to many countries, including Kosovo, Liberia, Albania and Afghanistan.
In 1999, while his career in entertainment began to take flight, Riggle joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a New York City-based public affairs officer. He was asked to report to Ground Zero the day after the September 11 attacks to assist in the search for survivors. Riggle deployed to Afghanistan after he volunteered to return to active duty during this period of 9/11 recovery. After his two tours, he returned to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve while simultaneously working as an actor and comedian in a variety of shows and movies, including “Saturday Night Live,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “The Daily Show.”
Riggle was able to incorporate his experience in the Marine Corps into his career in the entertainment business. In 2007, he went to Iraq for a segment on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and to entertain his fellow troops with the United Service Organizations. In 2009, while Riggle was still working for The Daily Show, he trained Marines how to properly respond to media requests.
Throughout Riggle’s military career, he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and earned a plethora of awards, including two Meritorious Service Medals, a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, a Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, a Combat Action Ribbon, a National Defense Service Medal, a Kosovo Campaign Medal, an Afghanistan Campaign Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Humanitarian Service Medal, an Armed Forces Reserve Medal and a NATO Medal.
On Jan. 1, 2013, after nine years of active duty and 14 years in the Reserve, Riggle retired from the Marine Corps. Now, he is known for his comedic acting roles in shows and movies such as “Modern Family,” “21 Jump Street” and “The Lorax.” He also founded and hosts the Rob Riggle InVETational Golf Classic, a charity event that raises money for the Semper Fi Fund. This program provides financial assistance and support to post-9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and severely injured members of all branches of the U.S. military and their families.
We honor his service.
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Writer: Jenna Downey
Editors: Aleah Estevez, Cynthia Xu
Researcher: John Bergstrom
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