Tri-Service
BLOG: My Journey With The US Marines
Everyone on the Eastern side of the states that wants to become a Marine will go through Parris Island and every female joining the corps will train here.
My arrival was actually similar to that of the new recruits.
It's dark, the place is new, and everyone in uniform is screaming at you as you get off a bus.
I was on said bus to make sure I got the full picture of what it was like to arrive here. Whether you are doing right or wrong, every communication is loud and in your face.
Luckily for me, my camera was like a shield, and the screams were around me rather than at me.
For the recruits, it's all about that stark contrast of your old civilian life, into the new one as US Marine – and man is it a baptism of fire.
Looking at most of these young men and women, I could tell this is was their first trip away from home – and the comforts were long gone.
I watched them pass through iconic silver doors into the admin building – it symbolises crossing the threshold into their new life... whilst I took a side entrance in.
It's a doorway for new recruits only and apparently I didn’t want to make the same mistake as a recent pizza delivery guy who casually strolled through them and got the ear bashing of his life!
From there I watched them hand over possessions from their civvy life, and be issued with their basic new ones.
Uniforms, toiletries, and a weapon. No more personal items for them... goodbye to the mobile phones, make-up and books.
Then it was time for the phone call home.
Pretty standard practice, even as an adult living in another continent to my parents, they still expect at least a text when I 'get where I'm going' – but this was no ordinary phone call home.
It was strictly made from a 6 line script, to inform their parents they had arrived and that they would write in a few weeks, no frills or 'I love you's' here.
Just to top it off the drill instructors were screaming into the ear that wasn't pressed up against the phone so I highly doubt the recruit could hear any reply from their far away families.
Knowing this would be the only time in three months they would hear their families voices, I really felt for them.
That's something I personally would really struggle with. From here on out it would be back to basics with occasional letters to and from home.
For the rest of the week, I moved away from the new arrivals to see recruits at various stages of the training, from those learning to use weapons for the first time, to those taking part in their final assessment and those graduating in front of delighted loved ones.
I saw exercises first hand and can confidently say there is no special treatment here.
The ladies tough it out with the guys every step of the way and are held to the same standard, everyone here has one aim – to be the best.
Although women have been able to join the US Marines for decades, these recruits are some of the first to start basic training since the Department of Defense opened up all combat roles to both women and men – so more options than ever before will be open to all the recruits that make it through this basic training.
Towards the end of the week, I picked out three of the recruits who I had seen arrive at Parris Island – and spoke to them about their feelings at the end of the first week.
I feel so excited and privileged to tell the story of what will be one of the biggest challenges in their young lives.
I will be following their progress to see if over the coming months they can tough it out through gas chambers, combat exercises and much more – to become united states marines and possibly go on to take on one of those front line roles.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
