Rct. Joseph A. Whitestanley, Platoon 1076, Charlie

Rct. Joseph A. Whitestanley, Platoon 1076, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, performs an upper body strike during martial arts qualification Aug. 11, 2016, on Parris Island, S.C. Whitestanley, 22, from Thorndike, Maine, is scheduled to graduate Oct. 7, 2016. Parris Island has been the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915. Today, approximately 19,000 recruits come to Parris Island annually for the chance to become United States Marines by enduring 12 weeks of rigorous, transformative training. Parris Island is home to entry-level enlisted training for approximately 49 percent of males and 100 percent of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Cpl. Vanessa Austin)