Courtesy Photo | Seaman Cadence Clackler graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Cadence Clackler graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC), earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) Sept. 18, 2025.
Clackler, from Beckley, West Virginia, said her decision to join the Navy was driven by a desire to give back to the people she loves most.
“I wanted to give back to my mom for everything she’s done for me and my brother,” Clackler said. “She worked hard every single day to give us a good life, and she taught me what discipline and dedication look like. Without her example, I wouldn’t be here. I also wanted to build a future for my fiancé and the family we’ll have together one day. The Navy gives me the chance to do both.”
The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the recruit who best demonstrates enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing, and teamwork. The award places Clackler among the top of today’s newest Sailors. As part of her recognition, she is awarded a flag letter of commendation.
Clackler, 18, said she entered boot camp determined to make her family proud but never expected to be recognized as the top Sailor in her training group.
“Winning the MEA is huge for me,” she said. “At the start of boot camp, I never imagined I’d be in this position. When I found out, I was ecstatic—I couldn’t wait to tell my family because I knew how proud they’d be. That was the best part of all of it. This award reminds me that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and on the path God wanted for me.”
Clackler’s Recruit Division Commanders were Chief Operations Specialist (OSC) Andrew Yelverton, Chief Culinary Specialist (CSC) Clyde Scott, and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (HM1) Janet Brooke.
“Our RDCs all had their own ways of motivating us, but Petty Officer Brooke stood out,” Clackler said. “She always reminded us to stay rooted in our faith and to never give up. Before big events, she would pray with us, asking the Lord to give us strength and knowledge. Those moments really carried me through.”
Clackler said her greatest motivation came from home.
“My number one supporter has always been my mom—her letters kept me going,” Clackler said. “My fiancé also wrote me every single day, sometimes more than once. Knowing that they believed in me, that they were cheering me on from a distance, gave me the strength to push through even the hardest days.”
For Clackler, the toughest challenge was being away from her family for the first time.
“It was really hard not being able to see or talk to them whenever I wanted,” she said. “What helped me was remembering that this separation was temporary, and that I was doing this for them. I’ll never forget the day of our official fitness assessment—I told myself I wasn’t going to call home with bad news. I pushed through it because my family is more important to me than anything.”
Clackler also said that the support and encouragement of her shipmates helped her adjust to life at boot camp, reminding her that she was not going through the experience alone.
“Having my division by my side made all the difference,” she said. “We faced every challenge together, and we pushed one another to get better each day. That kind of teamwork is something I’ll take with me into the fleet.”
After graduation, Clackler will attend Cryptologic Technician Collection (CTR) “A” school in Pensacola, Florida, for rate-specific training.
Training at RTC is approximately nine 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: | 09.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2025 10:26 |
| Story ID: | 548508 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | BECKLEY, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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