PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - We ask recruits currently in training why they decided to endure 13 weeks of boot camp to earn the title of United States Marine. Here’s what one said:
Rct. Jacob Smiley, a 19-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, is currently training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in hopes of earning the title of United States Marine. Smiley is training with Platoon 3058, Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, and is scheduled to graduate Aug. 16, 2013. “I decided to join the Marine Corps because I was drawn to the attitude that Marines I had seen growing up … had shown toward the Corps and the pride they had in the Corps itself and each other. The military has been something I have been interested in for a long time … just to do something to be proud of and to be part of something much bigger than myself,” said Smiley. Smiley graduated Gahanna Christian Academy in Gahanna, Ohio, in 2012. Approximately 20,000 recruits come to Parris Island annually for the chance to become United States Marines by enduring 13 weeks of rigorous, transformative training. Parris Island is home to entry-level enlisted training for 50 percent of males and 100 percent for females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Cpl. Caitlin Brink)