Rct. Calliel E. Mcrae holds a striking pad while Senior

Rct. Calliel E. Mcrae holds a striking pad while Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Brandon M. Bates encourages Rct. Alexis Valentin, all with Platoon 1094, Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, to punch harder Aug. 27, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. These techniques are part of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, which fuses martial arts techniques them with character development, helping transform recruits into physically strong, morally sound Marines. Bates, 29, is from Midwest City, Okla. Mcrae, 18, from Trenton, N.J., and Valentin, 19, from Hartford, Ky., are scheduled to graduate Nov. 13, 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)