Sgt. Orin Gress, senior drill instructor for Platoon

Sgt. Orin Gress, senior drill instructor for Platoon 2017, Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, speaks to his recruits for the first time Dec. 14, 2013, on Parris Island, S.C. Gress, 26, from Huntingburg, Ind., told his recruits what would be expected of them during their 12-week mission to become Marines and also what to expect from the Marines who would train them. Fox Company is scheduled to graduate March 7, 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. (Photos by Lance Cpl. Vaniah Temple)