Inspiring! This infantryman traded Marine camouflage for a Papa John’s uniform
By The Shammer
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on Military Transition Success, a website run by the Department of Defense that highlights military service members who successfully transitioned to civilian careers.
Getting out of the military? Meet the former Marine infantryman who successfully transitioned from serving in the Marine Corps to serving up pies at Papa John’s.
“I realized that my years of taking orders from angry staff sergeants had to be good for something,” Cpl. Sam Vickers, who still uses his rank because there’s no such thing as a former Marine. “So I transferred my tolerance for bullshit to the fast-food industry, where I can now take orders from angry customers.”
Wow! Inspiring!
Vickers not only managed to find stable employment after leaving the service in the midst of a pandemic, but he even managed to trade one uniform for another so he could continue to serve his community with pipin’ hot slices at reasonable prices. Not everyone who rejoins civilian life knows what the future holds for them or how they’ll find a sense of purpose once they “get out.”
Marines like Sam don’t have that problem.
“My recruiter didn’t lie to me,” said Vickers. “He told me my skills in the Marine infantry would make me a hot commodity.”
A hot pizza-making commodity on minimum wage with a sweet employee benefit of one free pizza per week! How very fitting that one of “the few, the proud” would go from serving his country to serving pizza. Can we get an “oorah” from our readers?
After all, why bother leveraging tuition assistance, Credentialing Opportunities Online, DoD Skillbridge, the GI Bill, his security clearance, or dozens of other military and veteran benefits to elevate himself into a middle-class career when his sole resume entry saying “6 yeers – Marine Core Grunt” could land him an entry-level job that doesn’t even require a high school diploma?
Nevermind that Sam’s master gunnery sergeant told him he’d be living in a cardboard box within a month of leaving the Corps, or that his friends told him he’d be unemployable because he didn’t learn any marketable skills. Instead, he’s making a nice living delivering cardboard boxes full of cheesy deliciousness. Take that, Master Guns!
“We’re lucky to have Sam aboard this ship, so to speak,” said Trudy Peralta, Sam’s shift manager. “His work ethic and stoic attitude are beyond reproach. A few weeks ago he filled up a hundred sandbags to protect the doorways before a heavy rainstorm while everyone else went home. And none of our skinny Gen-Z employees can quickly offload the delivery truck like he can.
“Employees are much like our toppings. They’re all different but come together to make the ultimate pizza,” she continued. “And I can really see Sam taking on a leadership role in a few years, maybe as an assistant manager.”
If you’re ever in “the 202” and find yourself too lazy to cook your own dinner, be sure to order yourself a tasty, fattening pizza from Papa John’s. And if Sam ends up being your delivery driver, be sure to thank him for his service before you tip him three bucks.
Semper Fi!
Shot: Southern Poverty Law Center classifies VFW and American Legion as hate groups (Duffel Blog, Sept. 6, 2017)
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