Rct. Stephen Alessandria, Platoon 3062, Kilo Company,

Rct. Stephen Alessandria, Platoon 3062, Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, pulls himself out of the water during his basic water survival qualification June 17, 2013, on Parris Island, S.C. Water survival training was designed to reduce fear, raise self-confidence and develop the ability to survive in water. The evaluation is a graduation requirement and provides recruits with basic water survival skills. Alessandria, 19, from Jacksonville, Fla., 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. Caitlin Brink)