Photo Gallery: Parris Island recruits train physically, mentally for title Marine [Image 7 of 13]

PARRIS ISLAND, SC, UNITED STATES

12.10.2013

Photo by Cpl. Caitlin Brink 

Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island           

Sgt. Vincent Rodriguez, a drill instructor for Platoon 3008, India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, puts recruits in order by weight Dec. 10, 2013, before pugil stick training on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits may only fight other recruits who are within 10 pounds of their own weight to help prevent injury. Recruits train with pugil sticks, which represent rifles with fixed bayonets, to simulate a close encounter with an enemy. This training is part of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, which combines hand-to-hand combat skills with mental discipline and character development to help transform recruits into physically and morally sound warriors. Rodriguez, 23, is from Woodbridge, N.J. India Company is scheduled to graduate Feb. 14, 2014. Parris Island has been the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915. Today, 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 of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Cpl. Caitlin Brink)

• Date Taken: 12.10.2013
• Date Posted: 12.19.2013 17:32
• Photo ID: 1141589
• VIRIN: 131210-M-FS592-928
• Resolution: 5760x3840
• Size: 5.46 MB
• Location: PARRIS ISLAND, SC, US
• Hometown: WOODBRIDGE, NJ, US