This is Parris Island as of April, 2000. A great deal has
changed since I went through the training cycle there, but a great deal has
remained the same too.
Thackery's words are still true today.
Ever wonder what the Road to Hell looked like? There it is. This road leads
into the Depot. Even though I was here 16 years before, this is the first time
I was able to see it while travelling inbound. (Other Parris Island Vets will
understand this.)
The first stop for every Recruit who sets foot aboard the Depot. It is usually
accompanied by the words: "FEET AT A FORTY-FIVE DEGREE ANGLE, THUMBS ALONG THE
TROUSER SEAMS AND EYES STRAIGHT TO THE FRONT! ARE YOU SOME KIND OF FAGGOT? STOP
EYEBALLIN' ME!!!!"
The building is different than it was back in '84, but the words above the
hatch have never changed. "Through these portals pass prospects for America's
finest fighting force. United States Marines."