U.S. Marine Corps Rct. Christopher N. McCauley of Platoon

U.S. Marine Corps Rct. Christopher N. McCauley of Platoon 3092, India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, is prepped for pugil sticks Sept. 18, 2017, on Parris Island. Recruits, like McCauley, 18, from Leonardtown, Md., wear safety equipment such as helmets, groin protectors, flak jackets, gloves and mouthpieces to prevent. India Company is scheduled to graduate Dec. 1, 2017. Parris Island has been the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915. Today, approximately 19,000 recruits come to Parris Island annually for the chance to become United States Marines by enduring 12 weeks of rigorous, transformative training. Parris Island is home to entry-level enlisted training for 49 percent of males and 100 percent of females in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph Jacob)