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    Parris Island
    Parris Island
    Parris Island
    Ebook164 pages42 minutes

    Parris Island

    By Eugene Alvarez Ph.D.

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    About this ebook

    Located near the Palmetto State's historic city of Beaufort, the United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina is one of the world's most famous military bases. Having trained Marine recruits since World War I, the base is the oldest major post of the Marine Corps. It is also the first base commissioned exclusively to train United States Marines, and therefore may truly be called "The Cradle of the Corps." Parris Island takes the reader on a visual journey through documented photographs that highlight the base's touchstones. Before the American Revolution, the island was partially owned by Col. Alexander Parris, who became the island's namesake. Plantations flourished on Parris Island until the end of the War between the States. A small detachment of Marines first arrived in the late 1800s. It was not until 1915, however, that the Marines arrived for good. Since then, the base has rapidly expanded, first during World War I and more so during World War II. Over the years, much of the physical appearance of the base has changed; yet, through this collection of photographs, former Parris Island Marines will have a chance to relive some of their memories while new recruits can watch the progression of their base unfold.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439629185
    Parris Island
    Author

    Eugene Alvarez Ph.D.

    Author Eugene Alvarez Ph.D. was a Parris Island recruit, a Marine Korean War veteran, and a two-time Parris Island Drill Instructor. He has published several books and is a retired college professor of the University System of Georgia. Join Alvarez as he revisits the earliest recorded history of Parris Island, its days as the United States Naval Station, Port Royal, and its transition into one of the key military bases in America.

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      Book preview

      Parris Island - Eugene Alvarez Ph.D.

      credited.

      INTRODUCTION

      The United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina is one of the most famous military bases in the world. The post has been the subject of numerous books and motion pictures, television presentations, and poems. Young men and women who have received their recruit training here (boot camp) have never forgotten the base where youthful innocence was lost. It is also at Parris Island, one of the two Marine Corps Recruit Depots, where one earns the prestigious title of United States Marine.

      The Native Americans, French, Spanish, and English have all inhabited Parris Island at one time or another and Parris Island was also a part of the Southern Confederacy during the American Civil War. Col. Alexander Parris (1662–1736) purchased land on the island in 1715 and the island is named after him. Through World War I, the Parris name was incorrectly spelled Paris. The Marine Corps corrected the error in 1919, and the proper spelling of Parris, with two Rs, has been used since.

      The United States Marine Corps Recruit Depot is in Beaufort County, South Carolina. It is approximately four miles long and three miles wide. The base is surrounded by Port Royal Harbor, the Beaufort and Broad Rivers, and includes such primary waterways as Archer’s, Ballast, and Ribbon Creeks.

      Parris Island consists of about 8,000 acres of land, of which approximately 4,400 acres are dry and suitable for the training mission and the maintenance of the base. Most of Parris Island is only a few feet above sea level. However, an elevation of near 21 feet above sea level exists on Horse Island and in the vicinity of the Third Recruit Training Battalion Physical Training Field.

      Parris Island occasionally receives snow and at times ice storms, but it is more renowned for its insects, humidity, and heat. Hurricanes can be a major threat to the South Carolina coast. An 1893 hurricane and tidal wave inundated Parris Island on August 28. Several thousand people perished at this time along the South Carolina coast. A 1940 hurricane wrecked much of the causeway and the base and several other hurricanes have caused extensive damage.

      Venomous reptiles on Parris Island include the rarely encountered but very lethal coral snake, the copperhead, the dangerous cottonmouth water moccasin, and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. These poisonous reptiles have been found mostly on the base golf course, at Elliott’s and Niver’s Beaches, and at Page Field. On one instance, nine snakes were killed on the golf course in one day. The largest recorded rattlesnake was killed near the base Argonne Trailer Park in 1981. The dispatched rattler appeared to be a log in the roadway and its length measured better than seven feet.

      Alligators also inhabit the base. They have been known to venture onto the Parris Island golf course and into training areas. A few alligators, usually following hurricanes or rainstorms, have even been seen on the parade field in the past. Other wildlife includes rabbit, deer, otter, squirrels, and raccoons. Birds in the vicinity include the Eastern Brown Pelican, egret, heron, osprey, sandpiper, and numerous species of diving, wading, and fishing birds. Parris Island’s wild and domestic plants, trees, and shrubs are as varied as the animal life. So many cedar trees once grew on the island that Cedar Island was a former Parris Island name. Cotton was once grown on Parris Island and orange trees were evident as late as World War II. Ragweed, poison ivy, oak, sumac, poinsettias, and milkweed also inhabit the vicinity. Colorful and large oleander bushes once lined the causeway from the base gate to Archer’s Creek.

      Today, Parris Island is a protected refuge for sea and animal wildlife. The historic island and base is not only vital to the nation’s defense, but is also one of the most beautiful posts of the United States Marine Corps.

      MODERN PARRIS ISLAND. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot constantly changes. Recruits from as recent as the Vietnam War have difficulty locating their old training site. This picture shows the base brick barracks and a parade deck that is used for recruit platoon graduation exercises. (Photo by Ernest Ferguson.)

      One

      THE EARLY YEARS

      1562–1917

      Soon after Christopher Columbus discovered America, other Spanish explorers sailed along the southeastern United States coast. The Spanish named the present Parris Island vicinity Santa Helena (St. Elena) in 1525. The French challenged Spain’s North American presence in 1562. That year Jean Ribaut (Ribault) visited Port Royal Harbor to claim the lands for France. Ribaut described the harbor as one of beauty and grandeur where without danger, all the ships in the world might be harbored. Ribaut named the magnificent harbor Port Royal.

      The names Port Royal and Parris Island can be confusing. It should be noted that Port Royal was, and is,

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