In 2026, I returned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island not as a recruit, but as an educator participating in the U.S. Marine Corps Educators Workshop (EWS). The moment I stepped back onto the depot, memory arrived uninvited. The humidity, the cadence echoing across open ground, the unmistakable posture of Marines moving with purpose—it all felt immediately familiar.Also Read: The friendly rivalry between ‘Hollywood Marines’ and Parris Island MarinesParris Island is not an abstract chapter of Marine Corps history for me. It is deeply personal. It is where I arrived in 2007 as a young recruit determined to earn the title Marine, and where my journey ended prematurely with a medical discharge during basic training. I never earned the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. Yet the values introduced on that island—discipline, accountability, resilience—never left me.Nearly two decades later, EWS brought me back. Not to relive the past, and not to “finish” something left undone, but to understand the institution with clarity, maturity, and historical perspective. This return was not about nostalgia. It was about reconciliation, reflection, and respect for the Marine Corps, for those who train its recruits, and for the process that forges Marines generation after generation. Parris Island Revisited With New Eyes Educators enter a recruit squad bay during the Educators’ Workshop aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Ayden Cassano) Walking Parris Island again, everything felt the same and yet entirely different. In 2007, my world was measured in seconds, commands, and stress. In 2026, I could observe the system as a whole. I was no longer reacting; I was learning.On the range, that shift became unmistakable. Watching Marines conduct live-fire marksmanship training, I stood behind the firing line as a Marine engaged with complete focus, eye protection on, rifle steady, spent casing frozen mid-air. The image captured more than a moment; it captured doctrine. Marksmanship in the Marine Corps is not about aggression; it is about control, repetition, accountability, and respect for the weapon.As a recruit, the range felt overwhelming. As an educator, it felt methodical and deliberate. Safety procedures, instructor oversight, and discipline were everywhere. Bearing arms, I realized, is treated not as a right or privilege in training but as a responsibility. Attention as a Cultural Value Another moment from EWS unfolded in a classroom setting. Marines in utilities sat alongside civilian educators, every eye forward, every posture alert. No phones. No side conversations. Just attention.That image speaks to something fundamental about Marine culture: attention is respect. Whether in a squad bay, on the drill field, or in a briefing room, Marines are trained to listen first and act with purpose. Training is intense, yes, but it is not chaotic. It is controlled, intentional, and guided by instructors who understand exactly when to apply pressure and when to teach.For me, as both a historian and classroom teacher, this was a powerful reminder that Marine training is education in its most disciplined form. Physical Standards and Shared Effort Educators from Recruiting Stations Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale receive a demonstration of different Marine Corps Martial Arts techniques. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Ayden Cassano) EWS did not allow educators to remain passive observers. We were placed into physically demanding environments not to break us, but to help us understand the standards recruits face daily. In one image, I am navigating a training structure alongside others, surrounded by Marines and instructors. The moment captures effort, balance, and teamwork, not performance.For me, that carried emotional weight. In 2007, my body failed before my will did. Returning to a physically demanding training space, older, wiser, and still pushing, felt like closing a circle. Not by erasing the past, but by honoring it.The Marine Corps does not define people by outcomes alone. It defines itself by standards. EWS reinforced that truth. The Drill Instructor Reconsidered As a recruit, Drill Instructors felt like omnipresent forces of nature defined by volume and authority. Through EWS, I saw them again, but differently. I saw professionals operating within a system built on transformation, not intimidation.Drill Instructors are educators. They are carefully selected, rigorously trained, and entrusted with absolute authority because the responsibility they carry is enormous. Their role is not cruelty; it is controlled intensity designed to strip away ego and replace it with accountability and cohesion. Green Belt Drill Instructors Within the Drill Instructor ranks are Green Belt Drill Instructors, certified in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), who form the backbone of recruit training. These are the DIs recruits interact with most often. They enforce standards relentlessly, teach fundamentals, and maintain the unforgiving pace of training. Green Belts correct posture, movement, speech, and mindset simultaneously. There are no shortcuts under their watch. They represent consistency. Standards are applied evenly. Mistakes are corrected immediately. Expectations are non-negotiable. They are where discipline becomes habit. Black Belt Senior Drill Instructors At the top of the hierarchy stand the Senior Drill Instructors (SDIs), typically Black Belts in MCMAP, seasoned leaders entrusted not only with recruits but with the Drill Instructors themselves. Where Green Belts enforce standards, Black Belt SDIs embody them. Their presence alone commands attention. They understand precisely when to apply pressure and when to pull back. Their authority is deliberate, measured, and absolute.Watching SDIs operate during EWS was a masterclass in leadership. They were not performers. They were conductors, turning chaos into cohesion. Florida educators receive a demonstration of the drill instructor speech during the Educators’ Workshop. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Ayden Cassano) Two Depots, One Standard While Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and San Diego operate under the same training curriculum, the same Crucible, the same physical standards, and the same core values, the environments in which Marines are forged create subtle cultural distinctions.Parris Island: The Old School Forge Located in the humid Lowcountry of South Carolina, Parris Island is synonymous with tradition. Surrounded by swamps, salt marshes, and isolation, it offers no illusions of comfort. Heat, humidity, and sand fleas test recruits just as much as Drill Instructors do.Parris Island is also the exclusive training location for all female enlisted recruits, adding to its unique historical role. Many Marines describe it as “old school,” a place where tradition hangs heavy and the past feels ever-present.Recruits respond with the sharp, unmistakable bark of “Aye, Sir!” a sound that carries authority across the island.San Diego: Hollywood with Hills Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego sits near one of America’s largest cities, earning West Coast recruits the joking nickname “Hollywood Marines.” The name is playful, but the training is anything but. San Diego introduces steep terrain, including the infamous Reaper hike, testing endurance in a different way. Historically perceived, often unfairly, as more relaxed, San Diego has always enforced identical standards. One cultural distinction often noted is terminology. San Diego recruits traditionally respond with “Aye, Aye, Sir!” instead of “Aye, Sir!”Different environments. Same Corps. The Soundtrack of Transformation Cadence is far more than a running song or marching chant. It is the audible expression of Corps culture in motion. Long before a recruit fully understands rank structure, customs, or history, they learn cadence. It sets the pace of their movement, regulates their breathing, and conditions them to function as part of a unit rather than as individuals. Cadence teaches synchronization before it teaches speed, and discipline before confidence.At its core, cadence is a tool of transformation. When a Drill Instructor calls cadence, they are not simply filling silence; they are imposing order. Every step taken on beat reinforces uniformity. Every response conditions recruits to listen, react, and move as one. In those moments, exhaustion becomes shared, effort becomes collective, and hesitation disappears. Cadence turns chaos into cohesion.In San Diego, cadence frequently takes on a more melodic, almost rolling rhythm. The terrain demands endurance, and cadence becomes a steady companion, carrying recruits up hills, through long conditioning runs, and across unforgiving pavement. The songs flow continuously, building momentum and allowing recruits to lock into a rhythm that pushes them forward one step at a time. The sound travels outward, echoing against hills and structures, a constant reminder that training never pauses.Parris Island cadence, by contrast, is sharper and more abrupt. It strikes rather than flows. Commands are shorter, louder, and more forceful, cutting through humid air and swamp terrain. The cadence does not carry recruits; it drives them. It echoes across open spaces, bouncing off squad bays and parade decks, reinforcing the sense that tradition itself is speaking. On Parris Island, cadence feels older, heavier, and deliberate, as if every call is connected to generations of Marines who marched the same ground before.Yet despite these stylistic differences, the purpose of cadence never changes. Whether melodic or commanding, it forges unity. It replaces individual pacing with collective movement. It teaches recruits to endure discomfort together, to maintain discipline under fatigue, and to respond instantly to authority.Different voices.Same rhythm of transformation.Same Corps. Educators from Recruiting Stations Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale make a phone call home during the Educators’ Workshop aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Jan. 28, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Ayden Cassano) Full Circle at Parris Island Returning to Parris Island through the Marine Corps Educators Workshop did not rewrite my experience as a recruit, but it reframed it. In 2007, I saw only the immediate challenge. In 2026, I could see the institution, the history, and the people behind the process.Parris Island did not change.I did.EWS allowed me to stand where I once stood uncertain, now grounded in understanding. It reminded me that not every journey ends the same way, but every experience has value when placed in context.Different roles.Same island.Enduring lessons.Parris Island has a way of reminding you who you were, who you became, and why service, whether in uniform or in the classroom, still matters. This week reaffirmed that the values forged here don’t fade with time; they follow you for life and shape how you lead, teach, and serve others.To make this experience even more meaningful, Commanding General Ahmed “Will” Williamson honored me in a way I will never forget by presenting me with his patch. A gesture that carries tremendous weight, history, and trust—one I will carry with me always.Grateful for the Marines who trained us, the educators who shared this journey, and the institution that continues to set the standard. Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty • The Indian Scouts that forged the legacy of American Special Forces• The heroism and legacy of US military chaplains in combat• How ‘Major Payne’ became a Marine Corps comedy classic  Marine Corps Feature The Yellow Footprints: The Marine Corps Educators Workshop By Daniel Tobias Flint Feature This Marine Corps veteran codified the modern handgun shooting technique By Miguel Ortiz Movies How ‘Major Payne’ became a Marine Corps comedy classic By Daniel Tobias Flint Entertainment The Marine Corps used ‘Doom II’ to train Marines to work together By Blake Stilwell History How a Marine NCO was crowned king of a voodoo island in Haiti By Blake Stilwell The post The Yellow Footprints: The Marine Corps Educators Workshop appeared first on We Are The Mighty.

Social media addiction has been compared to casinos, opioids and cigarettes. While there’s some debate among experts about the line between overuse and addiction, and whether social media can cause the latter, there is no doubt that many people feel like they can’t escape the pull of Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms. The companies that designed your favorite apps have an incentive to keep you glued to them so they can serve up ads that make them billions of dollars in revenue. Resisting the pull of the endless scroll, the dopamine hits from short-form videos and the ego boost and validation that come from likes and positive interactions, can seem like an unfair fight. For some people, “rage-bait,” gloomy news and arguing with internet strangers also have an irresistible draw. WHO IS KATHRYN RUEMMLER? FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL IS ALL OVER THE EPSTEIN FILES Much of the concern around social media addiction has focused on children. But adults are also susceptible to using social media so much that it starts affecting their day-to-day lives. Recognizing signs of compulsive use Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and the medical director of addiction medicine at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, defines addiction as “the continued compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite harm to self or others.” During her testimony at a landmark social media harms trial in Los Angeles, Lembke said that what makes social media platforms so addictive is the “24/7, really limitless, frictionless access” people have to them. Some researchers question whether addiction is the appropriate term to describe heavy use of social media, arguing that a person must be experiencing identifiable symptoms. These include strong, sometimes uncontrollable urges and withdrawal to qualify as addiction. Social media addiction is not recognized as an official disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard reference psychiatrists and other mental health practitioners use to assess and treat patients. That’s partly because there is no widespread consensus on what constitutes social media addiction and whether underlying mental health issues contribute to problematic use. But just because there is no official agreement on the issue doesn’t mean excessive social media use can’t be harmful, some experts say. “For me, the biggest signpost is how does the person feel about the ‘amount,’ and how viewing it makes them feel,” said Dr. Laurel Williams, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. “If what they discover is they view it so much that they are missing out on other things they may enjoy or things that they need to attend to, this is problematic use. Additionally, if you leave feeling overwhelmed, drained, sad, anxious, angry regularly, this use is not good for you.” FOREIGN AGENTS PUMP LARGE AMOUNTS OF CASH INTO CAMPAIGNS AHEAD OF 2026 ELECTIONS In other words, is your use of social media affecting other parts of your life? Are you putting off chores, work, hobbies or time with friends and family? Have you tried to cut back your time but realized you were unable to? Do you feel bad about your social media use? Ofir Turel, a professor of information systems management at the University of Melbourne who has studied social media use for years, said there was “no agreement” over the term social media addiction, and he doesn’t “expect agreement soon.” “It’s obvious that we have an issue,” Turel said. “You don’t have to call it an addiction, but there is an issue and we need, as a society, to start thinking about it.” Noninvasive tips to reduce social media use Before setting limits on scrolling, it’s helpful to understand how social media feeds and advertising work to draw in users, Williams said. “Think of social media as a company trying to get you to stay with them and buy something — have the mindset that this is information that I don’t need to act on and may not be true,” she added. “Get alternate sources of information. Always understand the more you see something, anyone can start to believe it is true.” Ian A. Anderson, a postdoctoral scholar at California Institute of Technology, suggests making small, meaningful changes to stop you from opening your social media app of choice. Moving the app’s place on your phone or turning off notifications are “light touch interventions,” but more involved options, like not bringing your phone into the bedroom or other places where you tend to use it, could also help, Anderson said. Tech tools can also help to cut back on tech overuse. Both iPhones and Android devices have onboard controls to help regulate screen time. Apple’s Screen Time controls are found in the iPhone’s settings menu. Users can set overall Downtime, which shuts off all phone activity during a set period of their choice. The controls also let users put a blanket restriction on certain categories of apps, such as social, games or entertainment or zero in on a specific app, by limiting the time that can be spent on it. EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2026 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS The downside is that the limits aren’t hard to get around. It’s more of a nudge than a red line that you can’t cross. If you try to open an app with a limit, you’ll get a screen menu offering one more minute, a reminder after 15 minutes, or to completely ignore it. If a light touch doesn’t work If a light touch isn’t working, more drastic steps might be necessary. Some users swear by turning their phones to gray-scale to make it less appealing to dopamine-seeking brains. On iPhones, adjust the color filter in your settings. For Android, turn on Bedtime Mode or tweak the color correction setting. Downgrading to a simpler phone, such as an old-school flip phone, could also help curb social media compulsions. Some startups, figuring that people might prefer a tangible barrier, offer hardware solutions that introduce physical friction between you and an app. Unpluq, for instance, is a yellow tag that you have to hold up to your phone in order to access blocked apps. Brick and Blok are two different products that work along the same lines — they’re squarish pieces of plastic that you have to tap or scan with your phone to unlock an app. If that’s not enough of an obstacle, you could stash away your phone entirely. There are various phone lockboxes and cases available, some of them designed so parents can lock up their teenagers’ phones when they’re supposed to be sleeping, but there’s no rule that says only teenagers can use them. Yondr, which makes portable phone locking pouches used at concerts or in schools, also sells a home phone box. TRUMP ‘CONSIDERING’ SMALL-SCALE IRAN STRIKE AS NEGOTIATING TACTIC Seeking outside help If all else fails, it may be a good idea to look for deeper reasons for feeling addicted to social media. Maybe it’s a symptom of underlying problems like anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression or low self-esteem. If you think that’s the case, it could be worth exploring therapy that is becoming more widely available. “For people struggling to stay away — see if you can get a friend group to collaborate with you on it. Make it a group effort. Just don’t post about it! The more spaces become phone free, the more we may see a lessened desire to be ‘on,’” Williams said.

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