Recruits of Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion,

Recruits of Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, ensure their gas masks have been properly sealed Aug. 26, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits experience temporary respiratory irritation, watery eyes and a burning sensation on the skin when exposed to tear gas, which is used to increase their confidence in the mask’s ability to protect them in a contaminated environment. Bravo Company is scheduled to graduate Oct. 17, 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)