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

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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.

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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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MISSION AND VISION Mission We make Marines who are committed to our Core Values in service to the country. Vision We are a cohesive team of Marines, Sailors, and civilians committed to upholding the legacy and operational relevance of the Corps by attracting qualified young men and women and transforming them mentally, physically and morally into US. Marines. GUIDING PRINCIPLES We are guided by our Core Values of honor, courage and commitment. Recruiting 5:33:13 We are committed to: - Pursuing quality - Being good stewards of resources and the environment . Ensuring the professional development of our people - Fostering positive community relations . Promoting an atmosphere that relies on teamwork and integration - Fostering an environment of decentralized decision making . Achieving a balance between our mission and quality of life - Being accountable for mission accomplishment, our people, and ourselves Base Operations Strategy To support our mission of Making Marines who are committed to our core values while serving the country in the 21st Century, our strategy reflects an integration of the many elements that go into making a basic Marine. 31 Recruiting Starting with our links to the local commuunities in the Eastern United States, the Marine recruiter seeks young men and women who meet established standards and have the ability to be transformed into enlisted Marines and Marine officers. These same recruiters prepare the future Marines for recruit training and Officer Candidate School and maintain close ties with their families. Recruit Training Once these future Marines arrive for training, the Marine Drill Instructor begins the important task of providing progressive and demanding training and instilling in them the core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. This demanding training is not done in isolation, but is supported by the various units and sections of the supporting establishments that work side- by-side with the trainers to mold future Marines, physically, mentally and morally. Base Operations Making Marines involves many people and organizations. It creates a synergy of leadership, values, and commitment to the Marine Corps, our duties, our families, and our fellow Marines, Sailors, and Civilian Marines past and present. Our strategy embraces these ideas; our strategic goals and guiding principles keep us focused on the mission at hand- the making of a basic Marine-for service to the Nation and our Corps.