How Rob Riggle's Military Service Inspired His Hollywood Dreams: 'I'm Gonna Bet on Myself'
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Rob Riggle learned a lot from his time in the Marine Corps, and he's sharing those lessons just in time for Veterans Day.
The veteran and actor, 53, stopped by the PEOPLE Every Day podcast to talk with host Janine Rubenstein about how his time in the military shaped him, and how those same lessons led him closer to becoming a respected actor.
"I thought I could best serve in the military," Riggle says. "That was something I always wanted to do. So I did it. It's a great country. Also, when I wanted to pursue comedy acting, I did it. And that's because we live in a great country, where we have freedom to choose our dreams and then go after them."
RELATED: Actor & Retired U.S. Marine Rob Riggle Reveals He Would Gladly Serve Again 'If They Needed Me'
Riggle served 23 years total with the Marines, including nine years of active duty in Liberia, Albania, Kosovo and Afghanistan. He retired in January 2013 as a Lieutenant Colonel and tells PEOPLE Every Day that he always "wanted to serve in some capacity."
"I thought it's an American duty. It didn't have to be the military, but I just thought service of some kind is important ... for citizenship," Riggle says. "I just think it's important to give back, whether it's locally in your own community or statewide or national."
The American Dad star reflects on his time in the Marines as a journey from "boyhood to manhood," and ultimately, it taught him how to believe in himself.
"They pushed me beyond my perceived limits," Riggle tells PEOPLE Every Day. "So whatever I thought I was capable of, the Marines said, 'Actually, you can do a whole lot more when pushed. And they were right. And it opened up my mind a lot to, 'If I could do that, maybe I could do this.' And if I can do that, maybe I can do this.' And I started to actually believe in myself and say, 'You know what? I'm gonna bet on myself.' And so that's why I finally got the courage togo for it with regard to comedy and acting. So I give the military, Marine Corps especially, a lot of credit for that."
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The Emmy-nominated star will host "American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes" this year, as Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, Gayle King, Edward Norton, Sarah Paulson tell stories of heroes throughout U.S. military history. The special will debut on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW stations on Friday.
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"You can't believe the heroism that's just every day out there. Every day on display. And going all the way back to World War II to present day," Riggle said. "You see it; it's still out there. People doing the right thing never goes out of style. So it was really fun to tell those stories and honor those heroes."
Riggle often touches on his military service on social media; on Thursday he celebrated 247 years of the Marines.
"At the end of the day, all the rhetoric goes away, all the arguments, all the side shows go away and you get real focused when you're overseas," Riggle said. "So it's just the man and the woman on your left and your right. That's really all that matters."
