Rct. Megan Marsteller, Platoon 4012, Papa Company,

Rct. Megan Marsteller, Platoon 4012, Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, checks the distance left to slide down a Confidence Course obstacle Feb. 19, 2014, on Parris Island, S.C. The obstacle, on of 15 on the course, required recruits to change positions on the rope three times before reaching the end. Marsteller, 18, from Akron, Ohio, is scheduled to graduate April 25, 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 Cpl. Caitlin Brink)