Comedian Rob Riggle was a long-time member of the Marines and even received a Combat Action Ribbon! How did he switch to show biz?

Most of us know Rob Riggle either from his various television and movie roles or as a standup comic, but he was also a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserves for 23 years! He served in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan before becoming a public affairs officer.

In 2006, while still a member of the USMC Reserves, Riggle was hired to 'The Daily Show' as a news correspondent and was also used as their Senior Military Analyst. In 2007, he fulfilled a dream of his to bring part of America to the troops overseas when he was sent on assignment to Iraq as a correspondent by 'The Daily Show.' He left the show on good terms in 2008 to "go fight crime," and has been back a few times since then.

Riggle earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2009. He is also a recipient of the Combat Action Ribbon for his service overseas. He acted and performed as a comedian, all while training fellow Marines in how to respond to media requests; a pretty impressive feat. Riggle publicly announced his retirement from the military via Facebook on January 1st, 2013.

(Source)