Richard Rothwell grew up in Washington DC near the Marine Barracks. A Captain Peters USMC lived in his neighborhood. The Captain was on Expeditionary duty, he would go to Haiti and then Santa Domingo etc. this may had an impact on his final career choice.

Richard attended Bullis School in Potomac Maryland, graduating in 1932 and then won an appointment to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He graduated Annapolis in 1936.

The Marines wasn't Richards first choice of career, he had been in the National Guard and he originally wanted to go the West Point and become an Army Officer. He knew William Bullis, the founder of the Bullis School, who had been a Company Commander in the Army with the rank of Captain. Captain Bullis was a graduate of the Naval Academy and was an Army Engineer. In those days a graduate of the Naval Academy could choose which service he wanted to serve in. However Richard didn't have the education for West Point. His education had been business orientated, with only a couple years of the course he would need such as calculus. William Bullis suggested Richard go to the Naval Academy and get into the Army by that route. William tutored Richard extensively to help him get into the Academy. Washington DC didn't have a Senator or Congressman so being a resident of Washington DC Richard couldn't get an appointment. William Bullis started looking for a way to get his pupil and friend into the Academy. He talked to Congressmen and Senators and finally came up with a plan. Several states were not doing well in the examinations that are required to win an appointment to the Academies. Richard had an Uncle, Harry Wilcox, who lived in West Virginia, one of the states that had done poorly. Richard went to live with his uncle for the summer and became a resident of West Virginia.  He took the examination in Huntington West Virginia and passed the exam, he didn't know until later that he was the only one to pass.

 Congressman Hogg of West Virginia called Richard after the exam and Richard went to see him. The Congressman questioned if he was a resident of West Virginia and asked Richard who he knew. Well Richard rattled off names of people he knew in Washington DC, and the Congressman said he didn't know any of them. He asked again "who do you know in West Virginia?" Richard said "Harry Wilcox". Congressman Hogg said "You know Harry" "He's my Uncle" Richard replied. Congressman Hogg said that if Harry Wilcox would vouch for him and say he was a good citizen he would get the appointment. Richard called his uncle and was lucky to get him on the phone, and told his uncle to call Congressman Hogg. His uncle assured Richard he would call. Richard went back to school feeling down as he wasn't sure if he would get the appointment.

Back at school Richard got a call from a very nice lady saying Congressman Hogg wanted to talk to him. Congressman Hogg acting as if he had never talked to Richard before said "Richard, I want to congradulate you, you won the appointment to the Naval Academy".  Richard then had to take the three day entrance examination at the Naval Academy and passed.

Why the Marines instead of the Army?

Richard still wanted to go into the Army when he graduated from the Naval Academy. However while he was in the Academy the Army stopped taking applicants from the Academy as they had enough people from different sources and didn't need anymore. Richard new he didn't want to be a Naval Officer ad he knew something about the Marine Corps and he decided he would become a Marine Officer. This was a choice he never regretted and even today in 2008 says he made the right choice.