Before it became a symbol of Marine training, Parris Island was a tangle of palmetto, pine, and salt marsh that tested every man who landed there. Mosquitoes, heat, and tide ruled the days. By 1893, wooden barracks rose from the swamp, giving the Marines their first foothold. In 1909, it became the Marine Officers’ School, and two years later, the first recruits arrived. 🎙️ Episode 5: “Steam, Steel, and the Birth of the Modern Marine” is out now. 🎧 Get ad-free and early access to series. The f