This is an enduring account of one person's journey through basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina. For those who have served in the Marine Corps, this will bring back memories of their own experiences, regardless of how recent or far removed. For those who have not served in the Marines or any branch of the armed services, this memoir is intended to faithfully depict the experiences of young men fifty years ago in their efforts to join this country's finest fighting force ever and provide the foundation for those readers to appreciate what it means today to be a United States Marine.