A comedian and actor who spent 23 years in the Marine Corps and served in Afghanistan in late 2001.
Rob Riggle, a stand-up comedian and actor who retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in 2013[1].
An AI-assisted research report (made with Google's Gemini in October 2026) on how the Church of Satan (a religious group founded in San Francisco in 1966), comedians and the military connect named him as the clearest case of a working comedian who also served in a military headquarters in a war zone.
He joined the Marines in 1990 while at the University of Kansas and was commissioned as an officer in 1992. He was in his reserve unit in Manhattan on 11 September 2001 and worked on the rubble at Ground Zero, the site of the destroyed World Trade Center. In November 2001 he was sent to Central Command (CENTCOM, the US military's headquarters for the Middle East and Central Asia) and then to Afghanistan, where he joined the staff of an Army Special Forces (Green Beret) unit led by Lt. Col. Max Bowers and did public-affairs and civil-affairs work (dealing with the press and with local people). In 2018 he played Bowers in the film 12 Strong.
It shows that the same person can be a comedian and a serving officer. The report also looked for links to Michael Aquino, an Army officer who founded the Temple of Set, a group that split from the Church of Satan, and to the Church of Satan, a religious group Anton LaVey founded in San Francisco in 1966; none were found. No record places Riggle with the 'Horse Soldiers' — the Special Forces team from Bowers's unit that rode into battle on horseback, the story of 12 Strong — rather than on Bowers's staff.
[Report #199] SERVICE — the Pentagon's own news site: 'In 1992, Riggle was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve.' 'On Jan. 1, 2013, he retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.' (
war.gov). IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America): 'having served 23 years total (9 years active duty, 14 years in the reserves)'; 'Riggle served in various countries including Albania, Kosovo, Liberia, and Afghanistan.' (
iava.org). His own account of joining: 'I joined when I was in college, April 25, 1990. I had my pilot's license when I was in college at the University of Kansas and was able to attain a guaranteed flight contract.' (
military.com). Units he served with, per Military.com: 'Because of his occupational specialty, Riggle served with a number of different units including the 2/2, 3/8, 24th MEU SOC, 2nd MAW, CENTCOM, MTU-17, HQPA, 3rd Bat. and 5th' (
military.com).
9/11 AND AFGHANISTAN. Leatherneck (Marine Corps Association magazine, Joel Searls, 15 Sep 2024): 'He deployed to Kosovo but was back in Manhattan with MTU-17 when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened.' 'Riggle got orders on Nov. 10, 2001, to go to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). He reported on Nov. 17 and was on a plane to Afghanistan on Nov. 30. He served in the public affairs section for CENTCOM under LtCol Max Bowers, who commanded the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group' 'In real life, Riggle joined the unit right after they took Mazar-i-Sharif. While on the staff, he served alongside a military attorney and an Army civil affairs team, and he was moved into a civil affairs billet.' (
mca-marines.org). In his own words (Skillset, 2018): 'On Nov. 10, 2001, I got orders to Central Command. I reported on Nov. 17 to CENTCOM and went straight over to Afghanistan; ended up joining the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group as an augmentee. I was a Marine in an Army unit, but it’s all a big purple force. I did public affairs and civil affairs work, and I worked directly for Lieutenant Colonel Max Bowers.'; 'I worked on his command element and it was great. I did all kinds of stuff, worked out in the population of Mazar-e Sharif.' (
skillsetmag.com). Army Times (17 Jan 2018): 'There, he served as a civil and public affairs officer with 3rd Battalion’s command group, under a now-retired Bowers.' (
armytimes.com).
12 STRONG. The American Legion (Feb 2018): 'I ended up working on Lt. Col. Bowers’ staff, on his command element,” Riggle said. “I briefed him every morning, briefed every evening, and got to work with him quite extensively' (
legion.org). He played Lt. Col. Max Bowers in the 2018 film 12 Strong; his own words in the production notes: 'I had the pleasure of serving with the Third Battalion of the Special Forces group in November of 2001 in Mazar-i-Sharif. I was a young captain at Central Command at the time, and even though I'm a Marine, they sent me over to join up with these guys, and I ended up working under the command of Lt. Colonel Bowers. I wasn't a gunslinger like those guys' (
visualhollywood.com).
HIS VIEW FROM THE STAFF. Army Times (2018): '“I knew what I needed to know, and that was fine with me. It wasn’t like I was just popping in for the gossip,” Riggle said. “Just sitting around, listening to briefs. You can pick up things through context clues in some of these meetings, and you hear stories.”' (
armytimes.com). To KTLA, as quoted by History vs Hollywood: '"I was on his command element and worked with him in November of 2001 in Afghanistan.' (
historyvshollywood.com).
MTU-17. 'MTU' is a Mobilization Training Unit; the Marine reserve's 2010 almanac: 'MTU Marines are IRR Marines who drill as a unit earning unpaid reserve retirement credit.'; Marine Forces Reserve: 'Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) orders that allow IRR Marines to affiliate and participate with Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR), Mobilization Training Unit, or Active Component (AC) units, in a nonpay status.' (
marforres.marines.mil). No document naming MTU-17 itself or its mission was found (Oct 2026).
HELD. The report placed him 'alongside the ODA 595 unit' (the Special Forces team known as the 'Horse Soldiers'). Leatherneck has him joining the battalion staff right after Mazar-i-Sharif was taken; no source places him with ODA 595, and no 2001 Army or Marine Corps record of the posting was found (Oct 2026). No link was found between him and Michael Aquino, the Church of Satan or the Temple of Set (Oct 2026).