The Crucible on Parris Island — Part 3
In the Crucible, Marine recruits live out their training. With basic how-tos ingrained, they can concentrate on making crucial decisions—confident that they…
The Crucible on Parris Island — Part 2
In the Crucible, the reasons for the close-order drills, for the rigid and uniform standards for seemingly small things like making beds,…
The Crucible on Parris Island — Part 1
The recruits in this video, and the two to follow, have nearly reached the end of USMC boot camp’s Phase Three, which…
Combat Water Survival Training on Parris Island
Phase Two of boot camp features combat water survival. Many recruits arrive on Parris Island unable to swim; some actually fear the…
Martial-Arts Training on Parris Island
A drill instructor, in the blue sweatshirt, supervises mouth-guarded Marine recruits practicing martial arts on Parris Island. Leslie CarboneAfter my misspent youth…
Close-Order Drill on Parris Island
“If you all scream together, you will stay together!” a drill instructor yells to Marine recruits. “Yes, Sir!” By popular demand, I’m…
“They’re the Best”
Last week, I enjoyed the great honor of meeting some of the outstanding recruits at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris…