Where can I see photos of my recruit in training?

A blog post by MarineParents.com Founder, Tracy Della Vecchia

Thirteen weeks is a long time to go without seeing your loved-one. That makes this a tough question to answer because we know you long to see a ANY photo of your recruit. However, we don't post photos of recruits in training except as approved by the United States Marine Corps Public Affairs Offices at either Recruit Depot Parris Island or Recruit Depot San Diego.

There are groups on Facebook that post photos of recruits in training. Per MCRD SAN DIEGO Policy, we do NOT allow posting those photos in our Official Recruit Parents Facebook Groups—for San Diego OR Parris Island. You may find photos like that in other groups, but you won't find them in our Official Facebook Groups.

For us, it's a matter of following the rules the Marine Corps has set forth. Our recruits and Marines follow rules, and so do we. Additionally, it's a matter of privacy for every recruit to be able to train without thousands of eyes watching. And finally, as an organization, we are conservative and follow Marine Corps tradition, protocol and policy.

I frequently read the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie books to my grandson. And to that, I say "If You Give a Mom a Camera she's going want to take it to boot camp. If you let the mom go to boot camp, she's going to take a thousand photos. If the mom takes a thousand photos, she's going to spend a lot of time in the middle of training. If she spends a lot of time in the middle of training, the recruits are going to get behind in their schedule. If the recruits get behind in their schedule, they're not going to become a Marine in 13 weeks."

The Marine Corps is making Marines. They've been doing it the same way for more than 239 years because it works. The Marine Corps boot camp training is the best basic training of any branch of our military. Spending time in photo shoots or allowing folks to lurk around taking photos to share on Facebook and other social media, is simply not part of the training. So, please be patient. Let your recruit own his or her time in boot camp; there will be stories to be shared with you from his or her perspective after graduation. Meanwhile, you can enjoy learning about the Corps—and why we should respect their long-standing traditions. Look forward to the surprise of seeing your newly-minted and vastly-changed (both mentally and physcially) Marine in thirteen weeks. The big reveal is worth more than a thousand photos.

Platoon 2014, Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, graduated boot camp Feb. 13, 2015.
—USMC photo by by Corporal Jennifer Schubert.