thedrifter
11-18-08, 07:05 AM
Parris Island to be a bit more crowded this winter
Published Tue, Nov 18, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
The Marine Corps is expected to reach its troop-expansion goal two years early. That means Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island stands to be a little more crowded this winter.
In an effort to increase its force to 202,000 Marines by 2011 -- a goal the Corps expects to meet by July 2009 -- Parris Island will see a less significant drop-off in recruits arriving for basic training this winter than in past winters, said Lt. Josiah Nicely, spokesman for the depot.
"Typically, there is a drop of about one-third as we move into the winter season," he said. "Due to the ongoing process of the Grow the Force Initiative, we won't have as large of a drop this year."
Nicely said about 6,000 recruits are in various stages of training at Parris Island, compared to more than 7,000 at the depot in August and September.
"The summer months are undoubtedly the busiest time of the year for Parris Island," he said. "Typically, we have around 6,000 at any given here during the summer. This year, we had around 7,000 on hand during the summer. The winter will continue to reflect a small boost over previous winters until we have fulfilled the growth initiative next year."
The Grow the Force Initiative is part of a Department of Defense program to increase the size of all branches of the nation's armed services. It was designed to help the Corps expand from 175,000 Marines early last year to 202,000 by 2011.
The Corps currently employs about 198,900 Marines, according to Headquarters Marine Corps.
"We've had the right mix of Re-enlistments and new accessions, and that has allowed us to reach our goal two years early," said Maj. Shawn Haney, manpower and reserve affairs spokeswoman at HQMC.
With that growth has come some changes and infrastructure improvements for Parris Island, which has been training Marines since 1915 and is the Corps' only recruit training depot for females.
To prepare for the influx of new recruits, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., approved a $78 million project for a barracks complex at Parris Island, as well as a $13 million project to construct temporary modular barracks to house recruits.
Ellie
Published Tue, Nov 18, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
The Marine Corps is expected to reach its troop-expansion goal two years early. That means Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island stands to be a little more crowded this winter.
In an effort to increase its force to 202,000 Marines by 2011 -- a goal the Corps expects to meet by July 2009 -- Parris Island will see a less significant drop-off in recruits arriving for basic training this winter than in past winters, said Lt. Josiah Nicely, spokesman for the depot.
"Typically, there is a drop of about one-third as we move into the winter season," he said. "Due to the ongoing process of the Grow the Force Initiative, we won't have as large of a drop this year."
Nicely said about 6,000 recruits are in various stages of training at Parris Island, compared to more than 7,000 at the depot in August and September.
"The summer months are undoubtedly the busiest time of the year for Parris Island," he said. "Typically, we have around 6,000 at any given here during the summer. This year, we had around 7,000 on hand during the summer. The winter will continue to reflect a small boost over previous winters until we have fulfilled the growth initiative next year."
The Grow the Force Initiative is part of a Department of Defense program to increase the size of all branches of the nation's armed services. It was designed to help the Corps expand from 175,000 Marines early last year to 202,000 by 2011.
The Corps currently employs about 198,900 Marines, according to Headquarters Marine Corps.
"We've had the right mix of Re-enlistments and new accessions, and that has allowed us to reach our goal two years early," said Maj. Shawn Haney, manpower and reserve affairs spokeswoman at HQMC.
With that growth has come some changes and infrastructure improvements for Parris Island, which has been training Marines since 1915 and is the Corps' only recruit training depot for females.
To prepare for the influx of new recruits, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., approved a $78 million project for a barracks complex at Parris Island, as well as a $13 million project to construct temporary modular barracks to house recruits.
Ellie