Courtesy Photo | Airman Apprentice Jacob Green graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Airman Apprentice Jacob Green graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) Aug. 13, 2026.
Green, 22, of McDonough, Georgia, said the award confirmed something he had believed long before he arrived at boot camp.
"Winning the Military Excellence Award for me is a reminder that being a good person and putting in the hard work wins 10 times out of 10," Green said. "No matter what, when or where, there's always someone watching, and there's always a consequence to your actions. Whether it's making your rack, running a drill or greeting someone at the door, you should always give your best to show others what you’re capable of and because it's the right thing to do."
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.
Before arriving at RTC, Green carried more real-world responsibility than most recruits his age. He'd built and run his own company, an outdoor home-improvement and remodeling business in central Georgia. The demands of ownership became unexpected preparation for boot camp.
"Running a full-scale contracting business is not for the weak," Green said. "It gave me the tools and experience of organization, communication, time management, accountability and efficiency."
That discipline was already a way of life. Green and his close circle of friends structured their days around steady, deliberate improvement.
"Every day, my family, my brothers and I would prepare for anything that would be required of me, whether it was meal prep, physical training or setting aside time to study a craft," he said. "We'd wake up with the goal to improve on our weaknesses, and the only way to do that is to do the things you know will make you uncomfortable."
The pull toward the Navy, though, ran back a generation. Green's grandfather served, and his stories planted something that never left.
"Hearing my grandfather talk about his time in the Navy made me want to follow in his footsteps," Green said. "After he passed, my grandmother would tell me about everything he did for our family, the sacrifices he made and how honorable it all was. I knew joining would be a pillar in becoming a good man, brother, son and servant of my country."
The hardest part of training tested the very connections that had shaped him. For a recruit whose family and faith anchored everything, the distance and silence of the first few weeks cut deep.
"Not being able to talk with my family was terrible the first few weeks, and not knowing what was going on put a strain on me, on top of everything that was required," Green said. "Every single day is a grind, from the morning routine to the classes, the evolutions, the marching, working as a team with 100 guys, and everything in between."
He leaned on his faith to steady himself, describing his daily devotions and prayers as a source of clarity and peace he needed to keep going.
Green also drew motivation from a sense of obligation to the recruits beside him.
"I knew my brothers around me were going through the exact same thing, if not worse," he said. "So who would I be not to hold up my end of the deal? I didn't want to be the reason someone with the same goal as me got held back."
His RDCs, Chief Petty Officer Kameryn Leon-Guerrero, Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Bossio and Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen Brehm, guided the division through each phase of training.
For Green, the Navy is one chapter in a longer story he's already thinking hard about.
"I've always enjoyed doing hard things and making sacrifices for others," he said. "I knew joining would push me to my limit and require more of me than anything ever has. One day I want to look back and say I was a good husband and father, and that I took care of the people around me."
Following graduation, Green will head to Naval Aircrewman “A” school in Pensacola, Florida, for training in aviation theory and technical knowledge, aviation electrical systems and electronics theory.
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: | 08.12.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2026 11:45 |
| Story ID: | 572216 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Green 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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