Rct. Monique Romo, Platoon 4013, Papa Company, 4th

Rct. Monique Romo, Platoon 4013, Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, practices punching during a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program endurance course March 13, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. The course is designed to improve endurance and hone martial arts skills. Physical training tools, such as this course, help prepare recruits for physical fitness and combat fitness tests, which are graduation requirements. Romo, 21, from Torrance, Calif., 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)