Courtesy Photo | Seaman Madelyn Antognoni graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Madelyn Antognoni graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) June 11, 2026.
Antognoni, 20, of New Boston, New Hampshire, said the award was the payoff of a simple but demanding standard she set for herself from day one.
"Winning the MEA made me feel like all the hard work paid off," she said. "My mindset was don't quit until the job is done, and that helped me continue to put in that extra effort throughout boot camp. This award motivates me to keep absorbing everything being put in front of me and applying what I've learned."
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.
The decision to enlist was a deliberate break from the direction her life had been heading.
"I joined the Navy because I needed to do something for myself," Antognoni said. "I've always put myself on the back burner. Before I left, I was falling into bad habits that were destroying my potential, and I recognized that I needed to make a change. The Navy gave me the chance to focus on becoming the person I know I can be."
Before boot camp, Antognoni was a lift supervisor at a ski resort in Henniker, New Hampshire, where she managed a staff of 90 employees from varying backgrounds. The job required her to assess individual strengths, build functional teams and solve problems under pressure — skills that followed her directly into training.
"My prior management experience was extremely useful, especially when I was placed into the RCPO (Recruit Chief Petty Officer) position," she said. "At my previous job I had to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each employee and form them into teams that worked well together. I used that same approach with my division."
That experience proved essential when her biggest challenge emerged. Getting recruits with vastly different personalities and backgrounds to function as a single unit didn't happen on its own.
"The biggest challenge was finding ways to get my division to overcome our individual differences and work as a team," Antognoni said. "I used my management experience and the guidance of my RDCs — figuring out each recruit's strengths and weaknesses, working toward a common goal, and debriefing on what we could do better."
Her RDCs, Chief Petty Officer Chase Tallent, Petty Officer 1st Class Ken Smith and Petty Officer 1st Class Meghan Morton, set the tone throughout training. Petty Officer Morton stood out for a reason that went beyond standard instruction.
“Petty Officer Morton pushed me to be my best and was a fantastic role model," Antognoni said. "She developed a warrior toughness training program that built not only physical toughness but mental toughness, which was vital to my success as RCPO."
That program paired her with Seaman Recruit Cardinal as her assigned swim buddy, and the two pushed each other through every session.
"We both supported and motivated each other, and because of that we never quit even when it was hard," she said. Both finished in the top six percent of their training group.
Following graduation, Antognoni will report to San Antonio, Texas, for Hospital Corpsman "A" school, where she will learn the basic principles of patient care and first aid procedures.
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: | 06.10.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2026 12:55 |
| Story ID: | 567333 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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