US Marine Corps Recruit Depot - Yearbook (Parris Island, SC)

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PARRIS ISLAND HISTORY Parris Island, located in Port Royal Sound, has a long and colorful history. Although the first Marines did not arrive on the island until June, 1891, the story of its occupancy by first to come to the area were Spanish explorers, who arrived in the harbor in 1520. They named the area Santa Elena and claimed it for the King of Spain. .- WELCOME In 1562, a French expedition of Huguenots tProtestantsy arrived in Port Royal. Under the command of Jean Ribaut, ,, , . 1 TO ' the French explored the harbor, landed on Parris Island, 7 :7 l and somewhere in the region, established a small outpost y , PARR'S ISLAND called Charlesfort. Ribaut returned to France, with plans 1 t of expanding his foothold at Port Royal, however, before E WE MAKE MARINES , he could return the garrison of Charlesfort mutinied and -'v . returned to France. 7 i I 1 When word of the French incursions reached Spanish authorities, an expedition was out-fitted under Pedro Menendez to destroy the French and place colonies along the southeast coast. Menendez established St. Augustine, defeated French expeditions, and in 1566, he came to Parris Island where he built his capital city of Santa Elena. For the next ten years Parris Island served as the site of the capital of Spanish Florida. In 1577 the settlers were driven out by the Indians. They returned the following year and rebuilt their homes, but in 1586, because of English raids, they abandoned Santa Elena and moved to St. Augustine. In 1663, nearly 100 years after the Spanish had left, WiIIiam Hilton came to Port Royal and visited the remains ' 7' Me: of the Spanish settlement on Parris Island. Hiltonis glowing reports of the area resulted in the English settlement of South Carolina. Parris Island was owned by a number of early colonialists, including Alexander Parris, the treasurer of South Carolina, who purchased the island in 1715. The islands name dates back to him, and his daughter and son-in-Iaw were the first English settlers of Parris Island. 559: If: i M Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War, in November, 1861, Union forces captured Port Royal Sound and Parris Island became a coaling station for the Navy. This function was taken up again after the war, thanks in large part to the former slave turned Congressman Robert Smalls, who fought for the creation of a new federal military installation on the island. 4 t1 t 'T . .' ' -' f 3 l7 1 ' v - -1 I USVMARIINE CORTS RECPUIT D'PiT 7;; V ,, ,3 . E! ,3; - v I tithes? v: WW hvumhhumw l AA -1J-., Hi,

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SERGEANT MAJOR JAMES K. PORTERFIELD Sergeant Major, Recruit Training Regiment Sergeant Major Porterfield was born in Jacksonville, FL. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 1989 and completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA. Upon completion in August 1989 he reported to Millington, TN for basic avionics training. After raduation in March 1990, he was directed to report to MCAS Cherry Point for MOS specific training on AV-8B Harrier systems. Following MOS school he was assigned to Marine ttack Squadron 211 in July 1990. In June 1992 he was attached to HMM-161 tREINI, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit for Operation Desert Stay in SouthwestAsia, Restore Hope in Somalia, Operation Eager Mace in Kuwait and Operation Nautical Mantis in Saudi Arabia. In May 1993 his unit deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan for the unit deployment plan. In September 1996 he was attached to HMM-166 tREINI as SNCOIC of the AV-8B detachment, 11th MEU for Operation Southern Watch, returning in April 1997. In September 1997, he was transferred to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego where he served as a Drill Instructor, Senior Drill Instructor and Chief Drill Instructor assigned to Company M Third Recruit Training Battalion. In 1999, he was selected as the Third Battalion Drill Instructor of the Year and Drill Instructor of the Quarter tfourth quarteri. In February 2000, he checked into Instructional Training Company, earning the MOS 8551 close combat instructor. In April 2000, he then transferred to Drill Instructor School for duty as a squad instructor, serving as the General Military Subjects, Techniques of Military Instruction, Uniform instructor and Curriculum Developer. Ordered to MCAS Yuma in January 2002, he reported to Marine Attack Squadron 214 as the avionics division NCOIC. Deploying in January 2003, he served as the Avionics Division Chief in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon his return from Iraq he received orders to 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA. Where he served as Kilo Battery First Sergeant, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines until January 2004, when he received orders to 1st LightArmored Reconnaissance Battalion. Shortly after arriving he was assigned to Alpha Company and deployed in February 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and participated in the first push into FaIIujah in April 2004. He then re-deployed back to Iraq for the third time participating in Operation Steel Curtain in Husaybah returning in March 2006. He then reported to Recruiting Station Portland in March 2007, where he served as the RS Sergeant Major until December 2009 when he received orders to 1st Marine Division. Upon arrival he was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and deployed to Afghanistan in May 2010 where he participated in Operation New Dawn in Trek Nawa and Eastern Endeavor in Sangin. Sergeant Major Porterfield assumed his current post in December 2011. Sergeant Major Porterfield's personal decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service MedaI, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device and two Gold Stars, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device and three Gold Stars and the CombatAction Ribbon with gold star and Basic Airborne wings. Sergeant Major Porterfield also has a Bachelors degree in Public Administration from Roger Williams University.

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DEPOT HISTORY Marines were first stationed on Parris Island in 1891, in the form of a small security detachment headed by First Sergeant Richard Donovan. His unit was attached to the Naval Station, Port Royal, the forerunner of Parris Island. Donovanis unit was highly commended for preserving life and property during hurricanes and tidal waves that swept over the island in 1891 and 1893. Military buildings and homes constructed between 1891 and World War I form the nucleus of the Parris Island Historic District. At the district center are the commanding generalis home, a 19th century wooden dry dock and a turn-of-the- century gazeboeall of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. On November 1, 1915, Parris Island was officially designated a Marine Corps Recruit Depot and training was continued from then on. Prior to 1929, a ferry provided all transportation to and from the island from Port Royal docks to the Recruit Depot docks. In that year the causeway and a bridge over Archer's Creek were completed, thus ending the water transportation era. The causeway was dedicated as the General E. A. Pollock Memorial Causeway in April 1984. During the fateful December 1941, 5,272 recruits arrived there with 9,206 arriving the following month, making it necessary to add the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Recruit Training Battalions. As the war influx continued, five battalions were sent to New River, North Carolina, to train, and the Depot expanded to 13 battalions. From 1941 through 1945, the Marines trained 204,509 recruits here and at the time of the Japanese surrender, the Depot contained more than 20,000 recruits. On February 15, 1949, the Marines activated a separate command for the sole purpose of training female recruits. Later, this command was designated the 4th Recruit Training Battalion and it now serves as the only battalion in the Corps for training female recruits. The Korean War began in 1950 when 2,350 recruits were in training. From then until the 1st Marine Division withdrew from Korea, Parris Island drill instructors trained more than 138,000 recruits. During March 1952, the training load peaked at 24,424 recruits. The recruit tide again flooded during the years of the Vietnam War, reaching a peak training load of 10,979 during March 1966. Today, the Marines train about 17,000 recruits at Parris Island each year.