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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Cooper Hurn graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) April 25, 2024.
Hurn, from Ames, Iowa, said he enlisted for a variety of reasons, including his family’s heritage.
“I’ve wanted to join the Navy my entire life,” said Hurn. “My father was in the Navy and was stationed on the USS Nimitz as an aviation mechanic. When I was a kid, I remember looking through his cruise book and thinking how awesome it would be to have a job like his. After high school I played college football and realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t my passion. I didn’t want to do a lot of the stuff other young people liked to do, and so I decided to act on my childhood dreams. Being in the Navy will allow me to continue being part of a team and carry on this tradition that my father started.”
Hurn, 22, graduated from Gilbert High School where he was on the academic honor roll and a member of the football, basketball, baseball, and track and field teams. Additionally, after high school Hurn attended Iowa State University and was a CrossFit and weightlifting coach.
The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing, and teamwork. The award places him at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. Hurn is awarded a flag letter of commendation as part of his recognition.
Hurn said the award is the best possible first step to start his naval career.
“Winning the award made me realize how lucky I am,” he said. “I can confidently say this award reflects the morals and character of my family and friends. I hadn’t expected to win anything because I was more focused on how my division was performing and how we could come together and be great as a team. After understanding what the award meant, I was extremely honored. This award will keep me motivated throughout my career because it shows that you can accomplish anything as long as you focus on the right things. All I tried to do was help others, focus on the goals of the team, and do the best job I could at whatever was asked of me.”
Hurn’s RDCs (Recruit Division Commanders) are Chief Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PRC) Karl Soratorio, Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class (BM1) Mercedes Logan, and Gas Turbine Systems Technician Electrical 1st Class (GSE1) Tyler Brown and they guided him through the 10-week process.
“BM1 Logan and GSE1 Brown played a huge part in how much I was able to learn while I was here,” said Hurn. “Everything from making the correct calls while marching the division to simply making sure the creases in my uniform were correct, they always made sure I was squared away and knew what I was doing. I owe a lot to them.”
Additionally, Hurn said his family and others in his division helped push him to success.
“My motivation stems from my parents, my close friends, and my fellow recruits,” said Hurn. “I’ve always been self-motivated, but the other recruits in my division that I became close with helped me to grow mentally and physically and to become a better leader. My parents also made sure to motivate me whenever we communicated through phone calls or letters. I understood that boot camp is the first step toward reaching my career goals in the Navy, so I always tried to remind myself to make the most of the experience.”
Hurn said his biggest challenge was learning how to communicate effectively with such a wide range of people.
“I come from a small town in Iowa, so for most of my life I was surrounded by people like me. Coming here, I’ve met and had to work with people from every corner of the globe. It’s been an honor to lead them in my division, though it wasn’t always easy. Learning how to talk to people and get everyone on the same page was my biggest challenge. Fortunately, by the end of the 10 weeks, we were able to come together and find common ground so that we could fire on all cylinders. I give credit to my fellow recruits and RDCs for helping me learn more about myself and my leadership capabilities.”
After graduation, Hurn will attend “A” School for additional training in San Diego, California.
Training at RTC is approximately 10 weeks, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 Recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2024 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 469611 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, IL, US |
| Hometown: | AMES, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hurn Earns Military Excellence Award at Recruit Training Command, by Marc Lindsay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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