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. Byron Davies, a 21-year-old native of Monrovia, Liberia, who enlisted from Hamilton, N.Y., is currently training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., in hopes of earning the title of United States Marine. Davies is training with Platoon 3058, Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, and is scheduled to graduate Aug. 16, 2013. “I joined the Marine Corps in order to become something better and bigger than myself. I decided I wanted to be a part of an elite force; to instill discipline in myself physically and mentally. I love the toughness and high standards that the Marine Corps has and the pride it takes in itself,” said Davies. Davies graduated Saint Edward’s Catholic High School in Monrovia in 2010. Davies is scheduled to be naturalized Aug. 15, 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)