“You know,” said Fredrico “Rico” Taylor, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Cook Foreman at VA St. Louis Health Care System, “I think we should start this interview off with an ‘Oorah’.” The U.S. Army “Hoorah” and the U.S. Marine Corps “Oorah” are two spirited phrases you would likely hear at any Taylor family gathering. However, the “Oorah” is new in that Taylor broke with family tradition and enlisted into the Marine Corps. Behind the Scenes at VA St. Louis Health Care System Meet Rico Taylor, Cook Foreman
“I was an Army Brat growing up,” said Taylor. “My Dad was active duty, and four of my mom’s brothers were also in the Army. But when I joined the military to provide stability for my family, I had to break the mold and become a Marine.” There was another tradition in the family, and that was cooking. Not only were his father and an uncle Army cooks, but all of his family liked to cook when possible. It seemed a natural fit for him to choose for his tour in the Marines and a job that would easily transition from the military to the civilian sector. After multiple assignments, including duty in California at Marine Corps Air Ground Command Center 29 Palms with the 1st Tank Battalion, Hospitality & Support Company, and additional training on deployment as a main gunner in an M60 tank, Taylor was at a crossroads in 2002 and decided not to re-enlist.
For two years after leaving the military, Taylor was the assistant director in food nutrition for a healthcare system in Georgia when his father became ill, and he needed to move home to Saint Louis. While not originally from the area, many of his family had settled here. “When my dad became sick, I had to make a choice, you know, do I stay where I am, or do I bring my family home and help with dad?” Taylor found work in St. Louis and, over the next 15 years, gained food service knowledge and experience until another crossroads in his life when his wife told him about an open cook position at VA St. Louis Health Care System. “At first, I wasn’t so sure since I’d be taking a pay cut,” said Taylor. “I was making decent money and even getting a bonus, but I also didn’t want to be running restaurants when I was older.” So, he applied for the job. While he had applied for federal positions before he never received a call back. But this time, he received a call for an interview.
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