Salute to Our Military: Rico Quiñones, Supervisor, Customer Care

Rico Quiñones’ unique upbringing shaped his life experiences. His father served as the Consul General of Peru to Turkey, and he grew up translating English while his dad was at events. “You have to have a master’s degree usually to be the Vice-Consul, but I was a young kid translating for his father, looking all spiffy in his suit,” he laughs.

One day while with his father, he remembers seeing a man in full military regalia at the American embassy. He was curious about the man’s position as a Marine security guard (MSG). “He told me all about his job, and it stuck with me,” he says.

The military had always been on his mind, as his family’s name is quite well-known in Peru. His great-great-uncle was a war hero in the Peruvian-Ecuadorian war.  “I told my parents at age 20 that I wanted to join the Marine Corps,” he says.

While the military had always been an influence—his father also had military experience—Rico's parents were surprised, especially because he wanted to serve in the U.S. Marines, despite spending most of his childhood away from the United States. His determination persisted, and he signed up.

During testing, the testers pointed out that he had scored highly and that he spoke multiple languages and could be eligible to work intelligence. But he was convinced he needed to live out (what he calls) his “John Rambo” dream, and off to infantry training he went. A freak injury saw him repositioned in postal duty, which he describes as a blessing in disguise. Thanks to the new posting, he got to see and do quite a lot, including an East Asia tour.