Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Juan M. Ramirez, Platoon

Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Juan M. Ramirez, Platoon 1080, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, reports to the drillmaster during a drill evaluation Aug. 24, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. Drillmasters, experts on the Marine Corps Drill and Ceremonies Manual, grade the drill instructors and recruits on a series of drill movements. Ramirez, 34, is from San Diego. Charlie Company is scheduled to graduate Oct. 16, 2015. 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 approximately 50 percent of males and 100 percent of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Vanessa Austin)