Recruits of Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion,

Recruits of Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, jump from a 10-foot tower as part of their basic water survival qualification July 8, 2013, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits jumped from the tower and swam 25 meters, simulating jumping from a ship and swimming to safety. Water survival training was designed to reduce fear, raise self-confidence and develop the ability to survive in water. This training is one of eight graduation requirements. Lima Company is scheduled to graduate Sept. 6, 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 Cpl. Caitlin Brink)