GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Oluwasola Oyeniran graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) August 6, 2026.
Oyeniran, 36, of Ile-Ife, Nigeria, said the honor was never something he set out to win. He came to boot camp with a far simpler goal: to get through training and refuse to give up.
"Honestly, it wasn't in my wildest dreams," Oyeniran said. "All I wanted was to do everything the right way, follow directions and not fail. Sometimes I still can't quite believe it. I came here just hoping to pass, not to be the best."
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.
His surprise ran deeper than modesty. There were moments in training when Oyeniran genuinely doubted he would make it through, and none tested him more than the swim qualification. Prior to arriving at RTC, he did not know how to swim.
"I was very worried I would not pass," he said. "I had to overcome my fear and trust the instructors, to believe they would not let me fail. If other people could face that same fear and get through it, then I told myself I could too."
He credited his first RDC, Chief Petty Officer Bruce Thompson, with pulling him through his most difficult days.
"Chief Thompson helped me overcome the mental stress when I was struggling with the swim," Oyeniran said. "He kept me steady when I wanted to panic."
His other two RDCs shaped different parts of the experience. Petty Officer 1st Class Kraig Johnson pushed the division toward better habits and preparation for life after boot camp, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Sara Martin kept a close eye on each recruit's wellbeing, checking on Oyeniran's swim progress again and again and celebrating with him when he finally passed.
For Oyeniran, the milestone carried a weight beyond himself. He is the first person in his family to serve in any military.
"I wanted to challenge myself to have courage and to carry the pride of being the first in my family to serve. I also joined to show those coming behind me that they can achieve whatever they set their heart to."
Boot camp asked him to unlearn one instinct in particular. Early on, when the entire division was corrected for the mistakes of a few, he thought it was unfair. Understanding why changed how he saw teamwork entirely.
"At first I thought our RDCs were just being mean when we all got corrected for the mistakes of a few individuals," Oyeniran said. "But I came to understand it quickly. In the fleet, if one person deviates from the standard, it can put all of us in danger. That made us police each other and hold the standard together. When one of us fell short, we all embraced what came with it, because we weren't doing our job as a team."
The steadiest source of strength came from home. Oyeniran's wife and children carried him through the low points with letters, prayers and the occasional phone call.
"My boot camp story would not be complete without my greatest fans, my wife and my kids," he said. "Their prayers, their words of encouragement, and their calls when possible reminded me why I was here during the toughest times."
For anyone back home reading his story, Oyeniran leaned on a phrase one of his RDCs gave the division.
"The grass is greener where you water it," he said. "You get back whatever you put into boot camp, and into life. If you aren't organized, boot camp teaches you to stay organized and stay on top of things. As long as you put in the effort, you have every opportunity to achieve whatever you set your heart on, and you can carry that into the outside world."
Following graduation, Oyeniran will report to Engineering Aide "A" school, where he will develop a working knowledge of basic construction skills and theories.
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