Recruits of Platoon 1020, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit

Recruits of Platoon 1020, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, clean their weapons Jan. 20, 2015, during weapon maintenance on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits spend countless hours maintaining their weapons because that weapon may one day save their life on the battlefield. Charlie Company is scheduled to graduate March 6, 2015. 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 Pfc. Vanessa Austin)