Sgt. Devin C. Root, a martial arts instructor, demonstrates

Sgt. Devin C. Root, a martial arts instructor, demonstrates a knee strike technique for recruits of Oscar Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, during martial arts training Sept. 11, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. These techniques, part of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, are designed to combine hand-to-hand combat techniques from various martial arts and fuse them with character development, helping transform recruits into physically strong, morally sound Marines. Root, 25, is from Kansas City, Kan. Oscar Company is scheduled to graduate Nov. 20, 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 approximately 50 percent of males and 100 percent of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Vanessa Austin)