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. Kara Davis, a 23-year-old native of Knoxville, Tenn., is currently training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in hopes of earning the title of United States Marine. Davis is training with Platoon 4030, Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, and is scheduled to graduate Sept. 13, 2013. “I joined the Marine Corps looking for a challenge. I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. I was working retail and it just wasn’t fulfilling. I felt like I wasn’t reaching my full potential. The leadership and camaraderie of the Marine Corps really seemed like the place I needed to be,” said Davis. Davis graduated from Ezell-Harding Christian School in Antioch, Tenn., in 2008. 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)