Sgt. Ashley Mohr, a drill instructor of Oscar Company,

Sgt. Ashley Mohr, a drill instructor of Oscar Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, motivates recruits to move quickly after chemical and biological warfare defense training Feb. 11, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits experienced temporary respiratory irritation, watery eyes and a burning of the skin when exposed to tear gas, a nonlethal agent used to increase their confidence in the mask’s ability to protect them in a biologically or chemically contaminated environment. Mohr is a 28-year-old native of Salamanca, N.Y. Oscar Company is scheduled to graduate April 4, 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 Lance Cpl. Vaniah Temple)