Rct. Jessica Quintero practices a knee strike on Rct.

Rct. Jessica Quintero practices a knee strike on Rct. Laura Bissonette, both with Platoon 4033, Oscar Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, during martial arts training July 8, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program combines hand-to-hand combat skills with mental discipline and character development to help transform recruits into ethical warriors. Recruits must earn their tan belts, the first level in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, to graduate training. Quintero, an 18-year-old native of Irvine, Calif., and Bissonette, a 20-year-old native of Euless, Texas, are scheduled to graduate Sept. 19, 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 Lance Cpl. Vaniah Temple)