Courtesy Photo | Seaman John Reier graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman John Reier graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) June 13, 2024.
Reier, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said he enlisted for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to serve his country.
“I always knew I wanted to join the military,” said Reier. “At first my parents told me I was going to go to college first and there was no other option. During nursing school, I fell in love with medicine but wasn’t sure I wanted to be a bedside nurse. After doing some research I learned more about being a Hospital Corpsman and knew right away this was what I wanted to do. It will allow me to continue in the medical field and serve my country at the same time.”
Reier, 23, graduated from Parkview Baptist High School and was a member of the football and baseball teams. Following high school, he attended Southeastern Louisiana University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
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. Reier is awarded a flag letter of commendation as part of his recognition.
The award, according to Reier, is the best possible first step to start his naval career.
“While it’s awesome to receive recognition, the award doesn’t belong solely to me. If it had not been for my RDCs, the other recruits in my division, and my loved ones back home supporting me, I would never have had success here. It’s something that I’ll keep with me as I head to the fleet and use it as a reminder that you can’t accomplish anything without the help of others and the ability work as a team.”
Reier’s RDCs (Recruit Division Commanders) are Chief Damage Controlman (DCC) Daniel Ortega, Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class (BM1) Anthony Spence, and Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class (BM1) Esteban Reyes-Feliz, and they guided him through the 10-week process.
“Each one of my RDCs helped develop and motivate me in their own way,” he said. “BM1 Reyes-Feliz, my second RDC, was someone who always helped us to see the bigger picture and made sure we learned from our mistakes. Though we didn’t always understand the reason for an IT session in the moment, by the end of boot camp it all started to click. Everything he did was purposeful and meant to teach us. He, along with my other RDCs, really helped me to improve my leadership skills and showed me what I need to do to grow personally and professionally.”
Additionally, Reier said his family and fellow recruits helped push him to success.
“My family was incredibly supportive of me,” said Reier. “My parents, siblings, and girlfriend encouraged me so much whenever I was feeling down. They were also really good at reminding me to stay strong and be consistent practicing my faith, which helped to keep me motivated and grounded. Of course, the other recruits I was with played a big role in my growth here, too. Even though I was the RCPO (recruit chief petty officer), they helped me in so many ways. I can truly so that they had my back, and for that I’ll always be grateful.”
Reier said that while there were a number of challenges, communication was his most difficult hurdle to overcome.
“Being detached from my loved ones was really difficult,” he said. “Even though I’ve been away from them before, I was still able to contact them whenever I needed to. Not being able to talk to them whenever I wanted was a real shock. The other part of that was learning to communicate effectively with all the other recruits. Because I couldn’t rely on my family to same extent I was used to, I had to learn how to lean on other people—especially since I was in a position of leadership. It was an uncomfortable adjustment initially, but the lessons I’ve learned is something I’ll take with me and use throughout my career.”
After graduation, Reier will attend Hospital Corpsman “A” school in San Antonio, Texas, where he will focus on the basic principles and techniques of patient care and first aid procedures.
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: | 06.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2024 09:16 |
| Story ID: | 473971 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 304 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Reier 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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