Courtesy Photo | Seaman Apprentice Justin Lagonegro graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Apprentice Justin Lagonegro graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) July 11, 2024.
Lagonegro, from Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, said he enlisted for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to change his career path.
“I wasn’t really happy with the direction of my life and wanted to try something different,” said Lagonegro. “My father passed away in 2020, and he was always a big advocate for the military. After I thought about it, the opportunity to learn new skills, go back to school, and see the world was too hard to pass up. I decided to listen to my gut and take a chance, and I’m glad I did.”
Lagonegro, 29, graduated from Pinelands Regional High School, where he was a member of the varsity football team. After high school, he attended Washington and Jefferson College and worked for seven years in the restaurant industry.
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. Lagonegro is awarded a flag letter of commendation as part of his recognition.
The award, according to Lagonegro, is the best possible first step to start his naval career.
“Initially I had no idea how to feel. There were a lot of other recruits in my division who had high aspirations, but I never really thought about winning an award personally. I just wanted to do my best for the division. Winning the individual award is the result of doing my part for the success of the group. For me, this is a reminder that if you put the work in and focus on the team, individual accolades will take care of itself. It’s a lesson that I’ll take with me to the fleet.”
Lagonegro’s RDCs (Recruit Division Commanders) are Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate (BMCS) Leolito Oblima, Gunner’s Mate 1st Class (GM1) Katherine Flemming and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (HM1) Cody Mahoney, and they guided him through the 10-week process.
“From day one, BMCS Oblima set the expectation for us to be a Hall of Fame division,” he said. “Having someone who believed we could accomplish such a lofty goal was motivating. Each day we tried to be at our best, and he pushed us to achieve that. HM1 Mahoney and GM1 Flemming were always there to make sure we didn’t let up. They helped us to maintained that fire to keep learning and improving. We wouldn’t have been as successful as we were if it weren’t for them.”
Additionally, Lagonegro said his family helped push him to success.
“I’m really close with my mom and my sister,” said Lagonegro. “Since I enlisted, they’ve both been incredibly supportive. Whenever I’ve had any doubts, they always encouraged me to stick with it. Speaking with them on the phone and getting letters from them throughout training was always just what I needed to continue to push myself and try to make them proud.”
Lagonegro said his biggest challenge was learning how to work effectively with such a wide range of people.
“I’m a little older, so I figured I might have trouble finding common ground with some of the younger guys,” he said. “At first, I wanted to do everything myself instead of letting other people take the lead. I came to realize that a team works better when everyone has input and feels like they are equally important and have something to contribute. Your way is not always the best way, and allowing everyone to take a turn and lead allowed us all to grow and develop in different ways. Now we have the kind of bond with each other that we’ll remember forever.”
After graduation, Lagonegro will attend Cyber Warfare Technician “A” School in Pensacola, Florida, where he will learn to perform local and close-access expeditionary cyberspace operations.
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: | 07.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2024 13:01 |
| Story ID: | 475943 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 99 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Lagonegro 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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