A recruit with Alpha Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, sweeps the floor during morning clean up aboard Marine Corps Depot Parris Island, Mar. 29, 2020. Recruits conduct morning clean up every morning to ensure a high sanitary standard. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Hageali)
Recruits with Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, test their skill on the range during Table 1 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., March 24, 2020. This will be the first time many of the recruits that will fire a weapon. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Daniel Johnson)
Pfc. Paul Hasenfus was six days into recruit training when his life changed forever: his mother Patricia had passed away. Hasenfus returned home to face her death and had to decide if he was going to return to Parris Island to achieve his dream of becoming a Marine. Hasenfus is from Plymouth, Massachusetts.
This week we caught up with Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, and asked recruits for their impressions of the first week of boot camp.
Receiving week is a crucial part of Marine Corps recruit training. During receiving week recruits are stripped of their individuality and thrust into a new way of life.
“During the crucible, I always had a picture of my great-grandfather holding the flags him and the soldiers in his unit signed during World War II” Tristan Altenbach said, “It was my main motivation to make it through training.”
