He served with 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, also known as “The Five and Dime,” 2nd Marine Division, stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
From December 1990 to April 1991, Shaggy and his regiment deployed to the Middle East for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, participating in the liberation of Kuwait.
During his tenure in the Marine Corps, he reached the rank of lance corporal, despite experiencing rank reductions due to unauthorized absences (UAs), a common occurrence among Marines at that time. Shaggy attributed these UAs to commuting to New York City for music recording sessions, occasionally missing morning formations upon return.
Following his discharge in 1992, Shaggy, now a prominent figure in the music industry, fondly reminisced about his military service and frequently performed at free concerts for military personnel worldwide.
Born Orville Richard Burrell on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica, Shaggy moved to Brooklyn, New York, at age 18 to live with his mother.
In 2007, he received the Jamaican Order of Distinction, Commander Class, and in 2022, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.
Historically, “The Five and Dime,” the battalion in which Shaggy served, engaged in combat in Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. The battalion was deactivated in June 2012.
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