Courtesy Photo | Seaman Recruit Cody Cropp graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) –Seaman Cody Cropp graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) May 21, 2026.
Cropp, 28, of Tucson, Arizona, said the recognition came as a genuine surprise. He hadn't come to boot camp chasing awards.
"I didn't come into boot camp aware of the MEA or that there would be any awards to win at all," he said. "When Chief let me know I was in the running, it caught me off guard. It really wasn't something I was expecting. I feel blessed to be recognized, but I know I wouldn't have been this successful without the support of my parents, the direction of my RDCs and the teamwork of everyone in my division."
The Military Excellence Award is presented to the recruit who best demonstrates enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork throughout training. As part of the recognition, recipients receive a flag letter of commendation.
For Cropp, the award meant something beyond boot camp. It was evidence of a larger turn he had been trying to make.
He arrived at RTC by a longer road than most. At Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in Oro Valley, Arizona, he was a National Honor Society member, an AP Scholar, and part of a football team that won the school's first state championship his senior year. He left on scholarship to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's engineering program. What followed, he said, was years of poor decisions and drift, until about eight months before he enlisted, when something shifted.
"God made a re-entry into my life and woke me back up," Cropp said. "I realized I needed to pursue something that would force me to serve a higher purpose and think outside of myself. I decided to follow in the footsteps of family members I really respect and serve my country."
Those family members cast a long shadow. His father served as an Army Ranger, his grandfather graduated from West Point, one uncle served in the Marines, another in the Army, and a great-uncle retired as a Navy captain. Cropp said he hoped the Navy would move him closer to the men they had become.
As Recruit Chief Petty Officer of his division, Cropp's biggest challenge wasn't physical. It was the daily work of holding people together.
"Being RCPO was a lot of work," he said. "Conflict resolution, getting everyone up on time, keeping the division focused. I had to learn how to motivate people to work as a unified team instead of thinking as individuals. I had to be tough when I needed to be, but I always genuinely cared about them too."
His RDCs, Chief Hospital Corpsman (HMC) Darius Doll, Aviation Boatswain's Mate – Fuel 1st Class (ABF1) Trevon Kendrick and Electrician's Mate 1st Class (EM1) William Shipp, gave him distinct lessons he said he'll carry forward. From Chief Doll, he learned vigilance and attention to detail. ABF1 Kendrick showed him how to be demanding without losing people's respect. EM1 Shipp demonstrated what it looks like to bring full passion to your work every single day.
"Working with them helped me to grow as a person more than any other nine-week period of my life," Cropp said.
For anyone heading to boot camp, Cropp distilled what he learned into the things that actually matter.
"Your RDCs aren't being mean to you — they're trying to help you learn and grow," he said. "Helping and encouraging the people in your division will do more to improve your experience than anything else. And if you're on time and in the right uniform, everything else will usually work out fine."
Following graduation, Cropp will remain at Great Lakes for Advanced Electronics/Computer Field technical training, where he will study basic electronics, digital theory, microcomputers, fiber optics and troubleshooting techniques.
Training at RTC is approximately nine weeks long, 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: | 05.20.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2026 11:03 |
| Story ID: | 565761 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Cropp 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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