MCRD Parris Island -- Brig. Gen. Angela Salinas, commanding general MCRD San Diego/Western Recruiting Region, along with her command staff, recently visited the Depot to see how changes made to the recruit training schedule are affecting recruit training.
The core values, combat readiness programs and enhanced physical fitness that Parris Island implemented recently will soon be exactly the same between the Depots.
Starting Oct. 1, the California-based recruits'training will mirror the Parris Island training as much as possible.
During her visit, the general spoke with drill instructors, senior drill instructors and company staff about their reaction to the changes and how it improved the recruit training process.
"The reason I like to talk to Marines is because they are the ones actually on the street. They are actually the ones we are tasking with being able to execute our missions,"Salinas said. "These are the guys and gals who are telling us, 'Hey, this is working and this is not working.' I am really excited to hear what they're saying."
In addition to speaking with staff here regarding training, Salinas also spoke with female recruits who were recruited from her recruiting region, 12th Marine Corps District. She asked the recruits how long they were in the delayed entry program and what types of training the recruiters did to help them prepare for recruit training.
While the visiting staff was at Parris Island, they observed recruits during physical training, received a brief from Drill Instructor School, observed an ethics class and different warrior training stations at the Crucible.
Salinas said this was an important meeting between the two leadership staffs because counterpart discussions allow for everyone to get more information and because making Marines is a team effort.