Rct. Maria Hernandez, Platoon 4012, Papa Company, 4th

Rct. Maria Hernandez, Platoon 4012, Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, responds to orders Jan. 27, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits learn from the moment they step on the yellow footprints that they are expected to move with speed and intensity and to respond to all commands loudly and confidently. Hernandez, 27, from Wells, Texas, is scheduled to graduate April 25, 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. Caitlin Brink)