GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Matteo Toliver graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) July 16, 2026.
Toliver, 21, of Naples, Italy, said he set his sights on the honor the moment he understood it existed.
"During the divisional commissioning ceremony, the XO (executive officer) explained what it meant to be an honor graduate, and then he mentioned the top graduate," Toliver said. "I remember looking at the dots on the floor where the honor graduates stand and thinking, 'I'm going to be up there by the end of all this.' I knew I was going to give boot camp everything I had."
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.
Even having set the goal, the reality caught him off guard.
"When I received the MEA, I was shocked, to say the least," Toliver said. "I knew I tried hard to be the best, but I didn't think it was enough. I thought I would come up short. The late TAPS, the extra studying, the motivation during PT, it all paid off in the end. I aimed for perfection, and even though I felt I'd landed short, I still landed in excellence."
That phrase wasn't his own. It came from the man he credits as his greatest motivator at RTC, his Recruit Division Commander (RDC), Chief Petty Officer Jordan Reckmann.
"Chief Reckmann is the perfect example of what the Navy can produce if you decide to put in the effort," Toliver said. "I've never seen a man so dedicated. He woke up earlier than he had to and went home later than he needed to, just to make sure every recruit was taken care of. He told us something that will stick with me for the rest of my life: 'If you aim for perfection and come up short, you'll most likely land in the realm of excellence.' I strive to be more like him every day."
For Toliver, the pull toward the Navy began long before boot camp. It started at home, watching his father come back from deployments.
"My father has always been my biggest inspiration," he said. "I remember being little and having him come home from deployment. He'd give us a big hug and always bring back some kind of gift from wherever he'd been."
One gift stayed with him. A piece of lapis from Afghanistan, his name engraved on it in English and Arabic, became a small emblem of everything the Navy represented to him.
"To me, those gifts were proof of the crazy and different places the Navy could take you," Toliver said. "Seeing him in uniform was always so inspiring. He'd bring me to his command barbecues, to a ship, to his office, and I loved talking to the people there. The jokes, the banter, the salutes, the willingness to sacrifice for the team and the mission, I fell in love with all of it. My father showed me what it meant to be a good man and a good Sailor, so I decided to raise my right hand and continue his legacy."
Toliver arrived at RTC with a résumé built for it. At Naples Middle High School, he captained football and wrestling teams that won back-to-back DODEA Division II European championships, competed nationally with Future Business Leaders of America, and served as the public affairs officer for his NJROTC unit, an early foothold in the very field he's now entering.
The hardest part of training wasn't physical. It was learning to lead with humility.
"My biggest hurdle was having enough humility to take advice as a leader, and being strong enough to learn from my mistakes without lingering on them," Toliver said. "Many times I was criticized for doing something wrong, and I had to internalize it, reassess, move on and perform. That was the hardest part."
He credited the foundation for that resilience to the community that raised him.
"I was supported, loved and cheered on the entire way, and it instilled a sense of self-belief I didn't think was possible," Toliver said. "That belief let me push when I didn't think I could and kept my head up when I was down. The people around me made me who I am. They shaped me into the man and Sailor I am today."
Following graduation, Toliver will head to Mass Communication Specialist "A" school, where he will learn the basics in journalism, photography and Navy public affairs.
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.