thedrifter
12-21-04, 03:39 PM
Marines changing airport for Parris Island recruits
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Carolina Low Country
Dec. 21, 2004
The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport will become the new arrival point for Marine recruits who fly to Parris Island to report for basic training beginning Jan. 1, military officials said Monday.
The recruits currently fly into Charleston International Airport.
Officials said the move is expected to save taxpayers more than $298,000 annually, plus improve safety for the thousands of Marine recruits who are flown to Parris Island each year.
Cheaper airfares to Savannah/Hilton Head were a reason for the change, officials said, and reduced night driving time on local highways was another.
Marine recruits from around the country typically arrive at the airport in the evening, following a day of initial processing at their respective Military Entrance Processing Stations.
After arriving at the airport, recruits are accounted for by Marine Corps personnel, assigned to buses and transported to Parris Island.
The move reduces the bus trip from 72 miles to 43 miles.
Newly graduated Marines and their family members and friends who visit the Recruit Depot each year will still have the option to use the Charleston airport. Parris Island officials estimate that the depot receives approximately 170,000 visitors per year.
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie
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Carolina Low Country
Dec. 21, 2004
The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport will become the new arrival point for Marine recruits who fly to Parris Island to report for basic training beginning Jan. 1, military officials said Monday.
The recruits currently fly into Charleston International Airport.
Officials said the move is expected to save taxpayers more than $298,000 annually, plus improve safety for the thousands of Marine recruits who are flown to Parris Island each year.
Cheaper airfares to Savannah/Hilton Head were a reason for the change, officials said, and reduced night driving time on local highways was another.
Marine recruits from around the country typically arrive at the airport in the evening, following a day of initial processing at their respective Military Entrance Processing Stations.
After arriving at the airport, recruits are accounted for by Marine Corps personnel, assigned to buses and transported to Parris Island.
The move reduces the bus trip from 72 miles to 43 miles.
Newly graduated Marines and their family members and friends who visit the Recruit Depot each year will still have the option to use the Charleston airport. Parris Island officials estimate that the depot receives approximately 170,000 visitors per year.
The Drifter's Wife
Ellie