Where is the Engraving Shop located?
560 Panama Street Bldg. 192 on Parris Island base.
When are my DVD and photo CD arriving?
The Graduation DVD takes 6 weeks. The Photo CD takes 3 months.
I ordered my graduation products and I don’t know what is shipping and what is not shipping?
The following items are ONLY available for shipping. All other items are to be picked up from the store, 560 Panama St. Bldg. 192 MCRD Parris Island. If the item is ordered late we will contact you for shipping information.
- Recruit Photo – Frame w/EGA
- Recruit Photo – Graduation Video
- Recruit Photo – Marine’s Hymn Frame
- Recruit Photo – Training Photos
- Recruit Photo – USMC Folder
- Recruit Photo – Photo Frame w/EGA
*These items must be placed 3 WEEKS prior to the Graduation Family Day to ensure these items are available for pick-up in-store. Orders placed AFTER this time will be contacted for payment of shipping fee prior to order being processed.
Please review the footnote on each product to determine if it has a cut-off timeframe. All other products not listed above will be charged the shipping fee and sent to the Shipping Address provided during check-out. All graduations prior to June 18th MUST have orders placed by this timeframe or they will be automatically put into a hold status until shipping fee is received, please ensure to use a phone number which can be called via our normal business hours. If you order any of the above listed products AFTER the cut-off or your graduation has already passed, with the exception of photo banners, which cannot be ordered after cut-off, you will be contacted for a shipping fee. Orders may take up to 4 weeks to be processed & shipped. Items available for pick-up in store will be picked-up NO EARLIER THAN 1300 on the Wednesday of the same week as your Marine’s Graduation Friday.
I just placed my order, when can I expect my items?
We begin the production process as soon as your order in inputted into our production tracker which takes an average 2-3 business days. Please note that we are working diligently to process your order in a timely manner but please be aware that a few issues could cause a delay in the shipment of your order. Please see below for a list of possible delays. If you do not receive your order by your graduation and you placed in two-weeks or more in advance, please contact our office via the contact us page to inquire about possible delays.
Causes of production delays include but are not limited to:
- Photo taken late due to Recruit being unavailable because of medical, security, etc.
- Dropped from prior platoon and photo needs to be located if taken with prior platoon.
- Ordered products with photos and photo discs have not been provided from vendor.
- Order was placed two months prior to graduation. Orders placed on time for prior graduations have priority.
Are the banners waterproof?
No, our banners are not 100% waterproof. Our banners are able to withstand minor tear, rain and long hours in the sun but are NOT durable to withstand extended hours outside.
What are grommets?
Grommets are metal rings that are pressed into the corner of your banner which allows easier hanging without the need for tape.
Where do I get the pictures for the frames and plaques?
Your Recruit is provided the opportunity to purchase photos prior to and after they have their official photo taken. Please contact your recruit to ensure they purchased photos. Once your Recruit graduates and more photos are needed please call 843-228-1555.
I ordered my items a month ago and have not received them?
We are working diligently to send out all orders as quickly as possible but please be aware that to process your order we need to have your Recruit’s photo on-hand to process your order. Some Recruits may get their photo taken at a later date which will cause a delay in delivery of your item. If you have not received your order by the graduation date (not applicable to orders placed week prior or same week as graduation) please call our office or utilize our contact us page to inquire to the status of your package.
I ordered my items early but was just notified that my Recruit is getting put on MEDICAL HOLD / DROPPED TO THE NEXT PLATOON. What do I do about my products? How do I ensure they have the correct information?
It is very important that you contact us via our Contact Us page as soon as you receive word that your Recruit will have new graduation information but please be aware that there is a possibility that your products have already been made. A lot of our products are customized with your Recruit’s graduation information and we want to ensure the correct info is displayed for your Marine’s Graduation. Please note that we can put your order on complete hold ONLY if we haven’t already processed your customized products. If your products have already been made we can offer various options to ensure the product(s) show the most accurate graduation information but due to the high demand of our products we cannot offer free replacements.
I received my items and the photo/text is wrong.
It is extremely rare for products to have the incorrect photo/text and we apologize to any families to encounter this. In regards to photos, we always recommend various family members look over your product as the transformation one undergoes at Recruit Training can change the bearing and appearance your Marine has. Other things could affect how he/she looks as well, such as they do not wear glasses in their photo, they no long have long hair or facial hair, etc. so please look for distinguishing features your Marine has to verify that it is them. In the occurrence of that it is incorrect photo/text, to correct this issue, please send an email utilizing our ‘Contact Us’ page and someone will be in touch to request a photo of the incorrect product. If wrong text, please ensure order # is provided so we can quickly locate your order.
I received some of my items but am missing my other purchased products?
Products ordered without a photo will always ship earlier than products with a product that we put the photo on (e.g. the arched frame, photo t-shirts, banners, etc.) as our office makes those products on-site (exception is bumper stickers and crystals as these are sent to a vendor). Banners will ALWAYS be shipped separately as these are sent in a tube to eliminate the need to fold the banner to fit into a box. If you purchased various products with and without a photo they will always be shipped together once the photo products are made to minimize the amount of packages you will be receiving.
I ordered a product with customized text but received a call that they were removing the RCT from my future Marines name. Why is that?
Your Marine is only called a Recruit (RCT) while they are here at Recruit Training. Once they receive their Eagle, Globe & Anchor they are no longer Recruits, they are Marines and we do not want to have any products display RCT. As such we will contact families to ask that they remove it or, if their rank upon graduation is known, please utilize it as a replacement. Common graduation ranks are Private (Pvt), Private First Class (PFC) or, in rare cases, Lance Corporal (LCpl). Please confer with your Rct/Marine or Recruiter to determine the appropriate rank.
How can I order a Commemorative Brick?
We are currently working on getting a new vendor for the Commemorative Bricks, until such time they will be unavailable for order. Please check back on our site at a later date.
How early can I place my order?
Orders can be placed at any time so long as the graduation date is known. Orders placed prior to our office receiving the Dress Blue photo discs from our vendor will be put on a temporary hold status until we receive their photos. Please note that if your recruit took their photo late or was a drop from another platoon this may cause a delay in your banner in comparison with other recruits as we will have to wait until the Shot Late discs are provided by our vendor. Please be aware that it takes an average of three weeks AFTER they took their photo for us to receive it.
Why does my product look different from what was displayed online?
To ensure you always receive the best quality products that we can provide, our office always strives to improve upon our products by updating colors, logos, text, and other visual aspects. Our design updates will never cause a vast difference in appearance without our office first updating the product image displayed online.
How do I order the Crucible Coin for my Recruit?
We offer the Crucible Coins for purchase directly to the Recruits ONLY while they are here in training to offer them a coin that commemorates the day they became a Marine after the many grueling hours they have spent earning the title. If you are wanting to ensure you get a copy of the coin you can send a letter to your Recruit in training to ensure they pre-order enough coins (limit of 5 per Recruit when pre-ordering), request that they purchase more at Final Pay (limited stock) if they have already pre-ordered, or they can be purchased by yourself after your Recruit graduates (additional shipping fee).
Can I send the items I ordered to my Recruit?
We cannot ship to your Recruit while in training. Please do not insert your Recruit’s Boot Camp/MCT/SOI training address as the recipient of your order. Products must be picked-up/sent to a family member’s address ONLY.
I have two Recruits graduating at the same time from Recruit Training can I place one order for both of them?
Unfortunately, you must place separate orders for each Recruit because our system only recognizes the Recruit information that is provided while you are viewing your cart prior to checkout. If you place a single order for two recruits you will be contacted that the item with a different Recruit’s name has been refunded and that a new order must be placed.
What are the hours of operation?
Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm
Saturday – Sunday: Closed
*On graduation weeks:
Monday-Wednesday: 9am – 5pm Thursday: 6:30am-5pm Friday: 9am – 5pm
When can I pick up an item that I have ordered?
*Wednesday pick-up: 1pm-5pm
*Thursday pick-up: 6:30am (Before the Moto Run at 7 am)
*Friday pick-up: 9am-5pm
*If Graduation is on a Wednesday due to a holiday these times would reflect for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. If Graduation is on a Thursday, due to a holiday these times would reflect for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
I ordered a banner when can I expect it to arrive? The EGA Banner will ship to you at anytime. All other banners are pick up only. Banners are automatically refunded to your account if ordered past the cut off date. (Excludes EGA Banner).
Items on the 3-Week Cut Off include:
- EGA Banner
- Marine Corps Colors Banner
- MARPAT Proud Family Banner
- Patriotic Welcome Home Banner
- Proud Family Banner
- Welcome Home Banner
- Photo Bumper Stickers
- Photo Crystal
Items on the 2-Week Cut Off include:
- *Limited Edition* USMC EGA T-Shirt
- 5×7 Arched Photo Panel W/ Easel
- 5×7 Photo Panel with Easel
- Eagle, Globe & Anchor Shirt
- Engraved Flask
- Engraved Leatherette Keychain ID Holder
- Engraved Leatherette Mini Notepad
- Family Crucible Shirts
- Graduation Coin Set
- Graduation Plaque
- Graduation Platoon Plaque
- I LOVE MY MARINE Shirt
- Ka-Bar
- Ka-Bar Folding Mule
- Marine Photo Keychain
- Marine Photo Ornaments
- Marine Photo Shirt
- Proud Marine Bulldog Shirt
- USMC Coaster Sets
- “I am a Marine” Curved Glass Picture Frame
- Curved Glass Picture Frame
What happens if I order a product past the cut off date? Any item ordered past the cut off date will be shipped to your residence. These items will not be ready for pick-up. Banners ordered past the cut off date will be automatically refunded to your account. Any questions or concerns about this please contact 843-228-1501.
How do I know if I ordered from Recruit Photo? All products under tab “Memories by Recruit Photo” can be found there.
Where is Recruit Photo? Bldg 602, 40 Blvd de France MCRD Parris Island, SC 29905
How can I contact Recruit Photo? 843-228-1555 or screcruitphoto@usmc-mccs.org