Rct. Andrew Hughes, Platoon 1085, Charlie Company,

Rct. Andrew Hughes, Platoon 1085, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, highlights his notes during a class Aug. 25, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits receive 58 formal classes covering topics from administrative issues to combat care and Marine Corps history. Academics is only one obstacle these recruits will have to overcome on their journey to earn the title Marine. Hughes, 19, from Merchantville, N.J., is scheduled to graduate Nov. 7, 2014. Parris Island has been the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915. Today, 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 of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Cpl. Jennifer Schubert)