Wichita Falls, Texas, native a Marine Corps drill instructor on Parris Island

Staff Sgt. Roger L. Petersen currently serves as a Marine Corps drill instructor with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. Petersen joined the Marine Corps in June 2001 and became a drill instructor in June 2014. “I became a drill instructor because I wanted to give back to the Marine Corps,” said Petersen, a 32-year-old native of Wichita Falls, Texas. “I have been in for 14 years, and being a drill instructor was one of the only things I haven’t done yet.” About 600 Marine Corps drill instructors shape the approximately 20,000 recruits who come to Parris Island annually into basic United States Marines. Parris Island is home to entry-level enlisted training for 50 percent of males and 100 percent of females in the Marine Corps. (Photo by Sgt. Jennifer Schubert)