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PARRIS ISLAND, SC (WACH/WFXL) -- Every Marine recruit from east of the Mississippi River has to travel to Parris Island, South Carolina to begin the 3 month transformation from civilian into a Marine.  And this week - we're taking you inside that journey.

Romeny Smith from WACH's sister station WFXL in Albany, GA is joining educators, counselors, and coaches who are travelling from near and far for the opportunity to spend a week at the Marine Corps recruit depot on Parris Island.

“It was rainy and it was a long ride but we made many stops and that was nice and it gave us the opportunity to get to know each other as a group,” said Reagen Beamon, a high school counselor.

After a brief explanation of the week, participants say they hope to leave with a better understanding of which students would be a good fit for the Marines.

“We go visit college campuses all the time and those recruits come to us, but its different when youre going through it yourself and you can actually see first hand what those recruits are going through,” said participant Tracy Knighton.

Everyone on the trip was told they will see and experience life as a Marine recruit.

“With as many students as we have at Lee County High School who choose the Marines as their career path, I’d like to be able to better guide them in terms of what they’ll be able to expect here at boot camp,” Beamon added.

Since most people only see Marines after they successfully complete boot camp, the excitement is growing to learn and experience the tough stuff.

Knighton says she also looks forward to bringing back picture so students can see what to expect if they go to boot camp.

The fun started early Wednesday morning with an event called yellow footprints. Bright and early drill instructors started teaching participants how to stand, walk, and talk. 

Stay tuned to WACH Fox and check back to MidlandsConnect.com all week for more reports from Romney Smith at Parris Island as training continues. You can also follow Romney’s experiences on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/romneysmith.