Rct. Kaitlyn Stephen, Platoon 4022, Oscar Company,

Rct. Kaitlyn Stephen, Platoon 4022, Oscar Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, checks for simulated explosive devices during a Crucible event July 11, 2013, at the combat training area on Parris Island, S.C. The 54-hour culminating event is designed to emphasize teamwork and adherence to the Marine Corps' core values under arduous and stressful conditions. Stephen, an 18-year-old native of Holcomb, Kan., is scheduled to graduate July 19, 2013. 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 for females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Lance Cpl. MaryAnn Hill)