MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, SC 29905 -- Honor ... it's how Marines live their lives. It is seen in their actions at home, the workplace and in combat.
What is honor, though? For every Marine, there is a different answer.
"Honor is having integrity," said 1st Sgt. Stacey Holcomb, the first sergeant for Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. "It's what a Marine is really going to do under pressure."
To others, it's a sense of belonging.
"It's the inner feeling you get when you present yourself as a Marine," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Plante, a drill instructor with Kilo Company, 3rd RTBn. "It's a feeling deep inside."
However, instilling this feeling into the hearts of Marines takes a lifetime of work that starts with recruit training.
"They start learning about core values on training day one," Plante said. "From there, they have discussions about core values."
However, talking about these values isn't enough. Many recruits have to see them in action.
"Leading by example is the best way to teach core values," said Staff Sgt. Scott Jackson, the operations chief for Bravo Company, 2nd RTBn. "We have to give them a day-by-day example. We have to be straightforward and truthful in everything we do. Our lives have to match what we say."
Another technique drill instructors use to instill honor in recruits is sharing their own personal experiences with them.
"One of the stories I share with them is about searching a dead enemy," Jackson said. "You search the body and find money or jewelry, and you have to make the choice of turning it in to the proper authority or stealing it."
Recruits have their own honor tested everyday.
"When we tell recruits not to bring food back from the chow hall, and they do it anyway, they are stealing," Jackson explained. "They just lost their honor."
However, the biggest test of honor recruits face during training is the Crucible.
"We watch and see how recruits act and react during tasks," Plante said. "If they get it, they start working together and doing things on their own."
Unfortunately, it's a test some recruits fail.
"I have had recruits who have stolen MREs [Meals, Ready-to-Eat] during the Crucible," Holcomb said. "They get recycled to the next company coming through because they gave up their honor."
That honor is necessary to be a Marine and it is a way of life, Jackson explained.
"We live by honor, courage and commitment," Jackson said. "We hold ourselves to a higher standard. The honor between us as Marines is so tight, you can't hold anything to it."