Rct. Mathew D. Sheldon, Platoon 3097, India Company,

Rct. Mathew D. Sheldon, Platoon 3097, India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, does crunches during an initial strength test Sept. 16, 2016, on Parris Island, S.C. Recruits must do at least 44 crunches in order to begin training. Sheldon, 20, from Richmond, Va., is scheduled to graduate Dec. 9, 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 male recruits and 100 percent of female recruits in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Aaron Bolser)