Lt. Col. Christopher C. Lynch, Recruit Training Regiment

Lt. Col. Christopher C. Lynch, Recruit Training Regiment executive officer, speaks to new Marines of India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, and Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, after a motivational run Jan. 7, 2016. Lynch explained the importance of upholding the values they learned in training when they return home on 10 days of leave after graduation. Both companies are scheduled to graduate Jan. 8, 2016. Parris Island has been the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915. Today, approximately 19,000 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 approximately 50 percent of males and 100 percent of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Sgt. Jennifer Schubert)