Making Marines Without Making Them Sick
After a brief pause, Parris Island is once again taking Marine recruits, with some modifications to the grueling 13-week boot camp.
By Geoff Ziezulewicz
April 25, 2020
Like countless parents before her, LaTasha Webber worried about her 17-year-old after she signed an age waiver allowing him to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. Her son, Charlie Jennings, left for boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina on Feb. 24, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a Marine.
The United States had already confirmed its first cases of the novel coronavirus, but President Trump had not yet declared the pandemic a national emergency. The virus didn’t top Webber’s list of concerns until last month when she heard reports of an outbreak at the base. “I kind of freaked out,†she said. “Oh my gosh, why are they still sending people over there knowing it could start spreading once they send new recruits?â€
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/25/magazine/marines-training-coronavirus.html
