Every week of Marine Corps boot camp, in order, from the night the bus stops on the yellow footprints to graduation morning on the parade deck. This video follows the master recruit training schedule that Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island published in January 2025: receiving and pickup, the initial strength test, the obstacle and confidence courses, martial arts, combat water survival, team week, grass week, table 1 and table 2 on the rifle range, final drill, basic warrior training and the gas chamber, the 54-hour Crucible, the emblem ceremony, Marine week, family day and graduation.

The recruit and his mother in the story are composites. The schedule is Parris Island's 2025 version; San Diego trains in a different order in places, and the program keeps changing.

If you went through Parris Island or San Diego, which week was the hardest for you? And if you're a parent who stood in those bleachers, how long did it take you to find your Marine?

0:00 A mother who can't find her son
2:01 The one-page schedule behind boot camp
2:16 Receiving
3:29 Pickup: meeting the drill instructors
4:11 Week 1: every minute belongs to someone
6:03 Weeks 2 and 3: walls, heights and martial arts
8:27 Week 4: combat water survival
10:03 Week 5: team week
10:59 Week 6: grass week
12:07 Week 7: table 1, 500 yards
13:13 Week 8: table 2 and final drill
14:33 Week 9: basic warrior training and the gas chamber
16:04 Week 10: the Crucible
17:32 The emblem ceremony
19:02 Week 11: Marine days
21:13 Week 12: orders, family day, graduation
23:47 The answer

Sources:
MCRD Parris Island, Master Recruit Training Schedule Matrix, version 20250107
Marines.com, Recruit Training (Crucible: 54 hours, 45 miles)
MCRD San Diego, Recruit Training Information
Military.com, Marine Corps Boot Camp Timeline; Dec 18 2020 (Training and Education Command on attrition, 12-16%)

Footage courtesy of DVIDS / U.S. Department of Defense, public domain (17 U.S.C. §105). Appearance of U.S. DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.