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Juan Rico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juan "Johnnie" Rico is a character from Robert A. Heinlein's book Starship Troopers. He was the son of a wealthy Filipino family who joined the Terran Mobile Infantry almost on impulse and over his parents' objections. He was sent to boot camp "Arthur Currie" with 2008 other recruits, and graduated as one of the 187 still enlisted. He was assigned as a Private to Company K, Third Regiment, First M.I. Division, or "Willie's Wildcats" on the transport corvette the Valley Forge. His first engagement was the foul-up "Operation Bughouse", during which 80% of the Wildcats were taken out of commission. He was then transferred to "Rasczak's Roughnecks" aboard the Rodger Young, where he achieved the rank of corporal and survived several successful battles. He later entered Officer Candidate School at the encouragement of his friend Ace. He eventually became a lieutenant after commanding in the critically successful "Operation Royalty". At the end of the novel he is commanding a platoon back on the Rodger Young, with his father, Emilio Rico, as his platoon sergeant.
In the 1997 film version, Rico is played by Casper Van Dien. The character is modified in a few ways. For example, his family is a Caucasian family living in Argentina, and his parents are killed when Buenos Aires is destroyed by a meteorite diverted by the Arachnids. In the novel it is solely his mother who is killed in the Buenos Aires attack, which precipitates his father joining the Mobile Infantry in the end.