Marine Corps Rct. Mitchell Sanchez, Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, receives his first recruit training haircut Jan. 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)
A whole new group of recruits arrived at Parris Island, S.C., this week for 12 weeks of fun and relaxation.
Well, maybe not “relaxation,” and “fun” is questionable, but if they can get through the months of arduous training, they do get to call themselves Marines, which is pretty awesome.
Every year, thousands of recruits do make it through to become Marines, which must be on the minds of those pictured below, who are a part of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Battalion.
New U.S. Marine Corps recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, call their next-of- kin Jan 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. Each recruit gets in contact with either their next-of-kin or their recruiter when they arrive on the depot. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)New U.S. Marine Corps recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, wait before the iconic silver doors Jan. 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. If successful these recruits will earn the title Marine. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)A Marine Corps drill instructor orders new recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, through the iconic silver doors on Parris Island, S.C., Jan. 8, 2018. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Michael Means Jr. gives instructions to new recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, Jan. 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. This begins their 13-week challenge to become a Marine. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)Marine Corps Sgt. Luis M. Lora gives recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, orders as they begin their processing Jan. 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)New Marine Corps recruits of Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, inventory their clothing issue Jan. 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. The uniform items are a part of the initial issue that every recruit receives when they arrive on Parris Island. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)Marine Corps Rct. Mitchell Sanchez, Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, receives his first recruit training haircut Jan. 8, 2018, on Parris Island, S.C. Sanchez, from Mansfield, Conn., is scheduled to graduate April 6, 2018. (Cpl. Vanessa Austin/Marine Corps)
The project was scheduled to take 10 years and cost $16 billion. Nearly eight years later, only six of VA’s 170-plus medical sites are using the software.
The figures are the latest available from federal census data and suggest limited progress on the issue of suicide prevention by Veterans Affairs leaders.
