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. Sergio Manzano, an 19-year-old native of Asheboro, N.C., is currently training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in hopes of earning the title of United States Marine. Manzano is training with Platoon 3064, Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, and is scheduled to graduate Sept. 6, 2013. “I joined the Marine Corps for the honor … my family is not as close as I believe it should be and the Marine Corps has that brotherhood,” said Manzano. Manzano graduated Southwestern Randolph High School in Asheboro, N.C., in 2013. 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)