PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - Only about 600 Marine Corps drill instructors shape the approximately 20,000 recruits who come to Parris Island annually into basic United States Marines. This handful of dedicated DIs is entrusted with sustaining a more than 237-year legacy by transforming men and women into the next generation of Marines. This is one of those drill instructors.
Sgt. Juan Canete currently serves as a Marine Corps drill instructor with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. Canete joined the Marine Corps in September 2005 and became a drill instructor in March 2013.
“The more we train [recruits], the better the Marine Corps is going to be,” said Canete. Canete is a native of Clifton, N.J.