Rct. Natalie Staedele, Platoon 4027, November Company,

Rct. Natalie Staedele, Platoon 4027, November Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, swings across a sand pit on the Confidence Course on June 12, 2013, on Parris Island, S.C. The course is comprised of 15 obstacles designed to help Marine Corps recruits build confidence by facing physical challenges and heights. Staedele, a 28-year-old native of Vancouver, Wash., is scheduled to graduate Aug. 16, 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)