Rct. Courtney Wesolowski, Platoon 4014, Oscar Company,

Rct. Courtney Wesolowski, Platoon 4014, Oscar Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, awaits the next part of her water survival qualification March 10, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. Water survival qualification, one of eight graduation requirements, includes swimming 25 meters, treading water for four minutes, jumping into water from a 10-foot tower and shedding heavy equipment while underwater. Recruits wear utility uniforms, including boots, throughout the evaluation. Wesolowski, an 18-year-old native of Cheektowaga, N.Y., is scheduled to graduate May 9, 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 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 Lance Cpl. Vaniah Temple)