6 Celebrities You Never Knew Were in the Marines: Learn About Their Service Before Fame

There is certainly no shortage of celebrities who have served in the military, but what about in the Marines specifically? Well, as it turns out, quite a few of our favorite celebrities have served in the United States Marine Corps, and one of them even claims, “Marine Corps became synonymous with my friends.” To find out who, keep scrolling!  

Adam Driver  

Before he was wielding lightsabers, Adam Driver could be found at Camp Pendleton, California, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.   

“I found I loved the Marine Corps the mosfor the thing I was looking for the least when I joined, which was the people — a weird motley crew of characters from a cross-section of the United States that, on the surface, I had nothing in common with,” he said during a TEDx Talk about his time in the service branch. “[But] over time, all the political and personal bravado that led me to the military dissolved. And for me, the Marine Corps became synonymous with my friends." 

Driver was discharged after serving for two years and eight months due to his broken sternum, which meant he couldn't go to Iraq with the rest of his unit.  

Said Driver, "I wanted to go so much. I mean, you were training to do this job for two years with these people. The idea of not going, someone else going in your place or not being there, is not really an easy thing to sit with." 

Now, Driver uses his platform to help Marine veterans find solace and comfort through the arts and has even created a nonprofit to help accomplish that. “I thought, how great would it be to create a space that combines these two seemingly dissimilar communities that brought entertainment to a group of people that, considering their occupation, could handle something a bit more thought-provoking than the typical, mandatory fun events that I remember being 'voluntold' to in the military.”  

Drew Carey 

Before he began asking people if the price was right, Drew Carey served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for six years. He even credits the Marine Corps for making him the man he is today, saying, “It instilled a great sense of discipline that I can call on when I need to." 

He further elaborated on his time as a Marine reservist, recalling, “The Marines was a fresh start – that is why they shave your head. I wish they would let you change your name” 

Bea Arthur  

Before she was a Golden Girl, Bea Arthur served in the U.S. Marine Corps, joining the ranks as Private Frankel as she joined under her legal name, Bernice Frankel. She enlisted just five days after the Marine Corps announced it was enlisting women to help with the World War II effort, writing in a letter to her first husband, Robert Aurthur, of her desire to help, “I was supposed to start work yesterday, but heard last week that enlistments for women in the Marines were open, so decided the only thing to do was to join.”

In classic Golden Girl style, Arthur didn’t always conform to the rules, with a special note on one of her assignments reading, “Officious — but probably a good worker if she has her own way!” 

Shaggy 

Rapper and singer Shaggy can never say “it wasn’t me” in the U.S. Marine Corps because it was him! The famous early 2000s singer joined the Marines and enlisted under his birth name, Orville Burrell, and worked in the 10th Marines as a field artillery cannon crewman during Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War from 1990 to 1991.  

Ed McMahon 

The late game show host answered the call and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1941 until 1966, before deciding he was better off having a career in comedy instead of combat. During his time in the Marines, though, Ed McMahon worked as a carnival baker and bingo caller, both of which served as good practice for the longstanding hosting jobs he would go on to have.  

John Glenn  

Before he could jet off to space, John Glenn served in the Marines during World War II and the Korean War in the aviation department. He would later become the third-ever American in space and a senator for the state of Ohio.  

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