Navy boot camp graduation from Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois, December 6, 2019.
Transcript
Good morning and welcome to Recruit Training Command and today’s graduation. We are very excited to have all the family and friends of our Sailors, both here and online, because you are about to watch the formal transition from recruits to full-fledged Sailors in the world’s greatest and most powerful navy. As we honor the accomplishments of America’s best and brightest, we must also honor the family and friends of these new Sailors. Without you and your steadfast support and devotion, this day would not be possible. Throughout our nation’s history, the secret to our military success has always been the military families that stand the watch at home and support their Sailors. The Department of the Navy has made the determination that the men and women graduating today have what it takes, and that is thanks to you. So on behalf of the United States Navy, thank you for the support and care you provide. This celebration is not just for the graduates, but for you as well. Take special pride in what your Sailor has accomplished and the tremendous journey they are about to embark on. They are our future. Thank you again for your support and all you do to keep America safe and strong. Enjoy this ceremony. It gives me distinct pleasure to welcome you to our Navy family.
[Performers] Hooyah, go Navy!
State flags, carry arms.
[Presenter] As the parade of graduates approaches, we salute the states and territories whose sons and daughters will graduate today.
[Presenter] Delaware.
[Presenter] Pennsylvania. New Jersey.
[Presenter] Georgia. Connecticut. Massachusetts.
[Presenter] Maryland.
[Presenter] South Carolina.
[Presenter] New Hampshire.
[Presenter] Virginia. New York.
[Presenter] North Carolina. Rhode Island. Vermont.
[Presenter] Kentucky. Tennessee. Ohio. Louisiana. Indiana.
[Presenter] Mississippi.
[Presenter] Illinois. Alabama. Maine. Missouri.
[Presenter] Arkansas. Michigan.
[Presenter] Florida. Texas. Iowa. Wisconsin.
[Presenter] California. Minnesota.
[Presenter] Oregon. Kansas. West Virginia. Nevada. Nebraska.
[Presenter] Colorado. North Dakota.
[Presenter] South Dakota. Montana. Washington.
[Presenter] Idaho.
[Presenter] Wyoming. Utah.
[Presenter] Oklahoma.
[Presenter] New Mexico. Arizona.
[Presenter] Alaska.
[Presenter] Hawaii. District of Columbia. Puerto Rico.
[Presenter] Guam.
[Presenter] American Samoa. Northern Mariana Islands. Virgin Islands.
[Presenter] State flags, order arms. And now we invite you to join the staff of Recruit Training Command in welcoming the graduating divisions with your applause as they enter Midway Ceremonial Hall and are announced in the following order.
[Leader] Division, left face.
[Announcer] Please welcome Division 009.
[Leader] Division, right face.
[Announcer] Division 010.
[Leader] Division, right face.
[Announcer] Division 011.
[Leader] Division, right face.
[Announcer] Division 012. Today’s graduating performing unit is Division 902. Division 902 provides the recruit choir, drill team, and band for today’s ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, you may be seated. Thank you. Divisions, right face. Section leaders, fall out and collect outer garments.
State flags, carry arms. Forward platoon, formation march. State flags, order arms. Parade, rest.
[Announcer] Divisions, countermarch. Divisions, halt.
[Adjutant] Prepare for review at a normal interval. Dress left, dress. Ready, front. Left, face. At close interval, dress right, dress. Ready, front. Right, face. Parade, rest.
[Announcer] May I have your attention please. For the remainder of the review, no one will be permitted to pass in front of the review stand, and we ask this as a courtesy to our reviewing officer. Photography is certainly encouraged, but we ask that you remain seated and off the drill deck. The photographers you will see on deck throughout the review are the official photographers of Recruit Training Command. Division commanders, left or right face. Parade, rest.
[Rob] Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I’m Lieutenant Rob Griffin-Duncan, Recruit Training Command’s drill division officer. I would like to welcome you to today’s Pass in Review. Today, you will see five divisions comprised of 347 Sailors participate in their graduation ceremony and soon join the most powerful navy in the world. Please draw your attention to the unit positioned at center deck. There is the review commander and staff. The review commander is responsible for conducting the graduation ceremony. Today’s review commander is Seaman Recruit Alexander Pubay from Hammond, Indiana. Let’s give him a hand, folks.
Performing today is the state flags unit on their sixth week of training, staff unit on their seventh week of training, and triple threat unit on their eighth and final week of training. These units are comprised entirely of recruits. During their night of arrival, all recruits are placed into divisions of 88 personnel and assigned their division commanders. Recruit division commanders form the backbone of recruit training and are the key individuals in the life of every recruit. Division commanders must serve as counselors, disciplinarians, administrators, and military leaders. Above all, they must show themselves as outstanding examples of military bearing, appearance, attitude, and behavior. Each division also has a recruit chief petty officer. This is the senior recruit who supervises the divisional staff positions and leads the division in the absence of their division commanders. Now ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce the graduating divisions, their division commanders, and recruit chief petty officers. As I introduce each division, they will raise the competitive flags that they have earned throughout their training. As I introduce each recruit chief petty officer, the flag representing their home state will also be raised. Please hold your applause until all introductions have been completed. I will be starting from their right. Division 009, commanded by Chief Petty Officer Terrence Powell, Petty Officer First Class Cody Osgood, Petty Officer First Class Kevin Lopez, and their recruit chief petty officer, Seaman Nathaniel Coil from Amelia, Ohio. Division 010, commanded by Chief Petty Officer Kenzin Jacques, Petty Officer First Class Christopher Walker, Petty Officer Second Class Joshua Rodriguez, and their recruit chief petty officer, Seaman Nicholas Escobel from Dallas, Texas. Division 011, commanded by Chief Petty Officer Sean Wilkinson, Petty Officer First Class Thomas Majanski, Petty Officer Second Class Paris Leonard, and their recruit chief petty officer, Seaman Alexis Brooks from Salem, Wisconsin. Division 012, commanded by Chief Petty Officer Shamika Wilson, Petty Officer First Class Ronald Ricino, Petty Officer First Class Julius Hudson, and their recruit chief petty officer, Seaman Brook Grant from Oakland, California. Division 902, commanded by Chief Petty Officer Ashley Shivers, Petty Officer First Class Anthony Vatrones, Petty Officer Second Class Joseph Haines, and their recruit chief petty officer, Seaman Tabitha Robles from Katy, Texas. On behalf of the commanding officer and staff of Recruit Training Command, we congratulate these division commanders and recruit chief petty officers on a job well done.
In a moment, you will see the ceremonial sideboys, bosun, and honor guard take their places for arrival honors. This time-honored tradition is our formal greeting to this morning’s reviewing officer. When requested by the announcer, please stand for the arrival honors, marching on of the colors, the national anthem, and the invocation. As a reminder, military guests shall remain covered throughout the entire graduation ceremony. And ladies and gentlemen, one final note. As befitting the importance of this occasion, our ceremony is conducted in a formal manner. However, we do encourage you to participate in today’s graduation ceremony by letting your applause show your Sailors just how proud of them you are. Once again, welcome aboard.
Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left, honor guard, march. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. March, halt. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Honor guard, halt. Left, face. Order, arms. At a normal interval, dress left, dress. Ready, front. Parade, rest.
[Alexander] Divisions, attention.
[Announcer] Will the guests please rise and remain standing for the arrival of the official party?
[Officer] Side Orderly, strike four bells.
[Announcer] Recruit Training Command arriving.
[Alexander] Order, arms.
[Announcer] Regional Administrator, United States General Services Administration arriving. The guests may be seated.
Good morning, sir. Honor guard standing by for inspection, sir. Inspection, arms.
Thank you for your inspection comments, sir. Right shoulder, arms. Post ranks, march. Right, face. Forward, march. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left. Left.
Color guard, parade the colors.
[Announcer] Will the guests please rise? Present, arms.
♪ O say can you see ♪ ♪ By the dawn’s early light ♪ ♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪ ♪ At the twilight’s last gleaming ♪ ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ Through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ O’er the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the rockets’ red glare ♪ ♪ The bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ Gave proof through the night ♪ ♪ That our flag was still there ♪ ♪ O say does that star-spangled ♪ ♪ Banner yet wave ♪ ♪ O’er the land of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪
[Alexander] Order, arms. Retire the colors.
[Announcer] Present, arms. Order, arms. Chaplain Anderson will offer this morning’s invocation.
Let us pray. Great God of wisdom and learning, to each of these women and men, you have given a remarkable gift, a unique combination of intellect, feeling, and personality perfectly suited to the Navy life and the work you have for them. Help them continue to learn throughout their naval careers that their minds never become dusty and stale. Equip them with resilience so that they can bounce back from whatever stresses and losses this duty may hold. Outfit them with persistence and daring that they may achieve their personal best in pursuit of their dreams. Ripen those dreams while you develop in these graduates both the will and the skill to accomplish every good and worthy goal within their hearts. Season and strengthen those hearts that they may be able to understand the suffering of their shipmates and work to relieve it with toughness and courage. Lastly, keep them safe and strong to run with joy the race before them and especially enjoy their first liberty in eight weeks. Amen and Amen.
Today we’ll take a moment to reflect on the events of December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, as United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought us into a war of such magnitude that when our Allied victory was finally won, tens of millions of people were killed or crippled in body and mind, and much of the civilized world had been reduced to ashes and rubble. The events of December 7th, 1941 are well-documented. In the destruction of that day, heroes were born, the history of the world was forever altered, and a nation’s resolve was cemented. Right now as we gather together just as the America’s intrepid heroes of Pearl Harbor did seven decades ago, your Navy is protecting and defending America to the world’s oceans. Navy ships, submarines, aircraft, and most importantly, tens of thousands of America’s finest young men and women are deployed around the world doing just that. Throughout our history, your United States Navy has been where it mattered when it mattered. Tomorrow and well into the future, the United States Navy, your Navy, will be there when it matters and where it matters. Most importantly, today, right now, America’s Navy, your Navy, is already there.
♪ Eternal Father ♪ ♪ Strong to save ♪ ♪ Whose arm hath bound the restless wave ♪ ♪ Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep ♪ ♪ Its own appointed limits keep ♪ ♪ O, hear us when we cry to thee ♪ ♪ For those in peril on the sea ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪
[Announcer] Our guests may be seated. At this point, the commanding officer would issue orders and instructions to the unit commanders. Then the unit commanders would face about and relay the information to their divisions. Today’s events show how orders are passed through the chain of command.
[Adjutant] Divisions, report.
Division 009 all present or accounted for, sir.
[Adjutant] Very well.
Division 010 all present or accounted for, sir.
[Adjutant] Very well.
Division 011 all present or accounted for, sir.
[Adjutant] Very well.
Division 012 all present or accounted for, sir.
[Adjutant] Very well.
[Tabitha] Division 902 all present or accounted for, sir.
Very well. All divisions present or accounted for, sir.
[Alexander] Very well. The Sailor’s Creed.
[Sailors] I am a United States Sailor. I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me. I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world. I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with honor, courage, and commitment. I am committed to excellence and fair treatment of all.
Good morning, Captain. I present the graduating divisions. Request permission to commence the review.
[Captain] Very well, commence the review.
Aye aye, sir.
[Adjutant] Parade, rest.
Sound off.
♪ I am America ♪ ♪ I am the wheat fields of the plains ♪ ♪ I am the warm Pacific rains ♪ ♪ I am they ♪ ♪ I am the concrete of LA ♪ ♪ I am the city by the bay ♪ ♪ I am the southwest burning sand ♪ ♪ Burning sand ♪ ♪ I am New England’s forest land ♪ ♪ Fording the stream ♪ ♪ I am the light of liberty ♪ ♪ I am as far as you can see ♪ ♪ O beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ For amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ For purple mountain majesties ♪ ♪ Above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ America ♪ ♪ America ♪ ♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ And crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ From sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ We stand our colors, raise a hue ♪ ♪ But stand we all in Navy blue ♪ ♪ In Navy blue ♪ ♪ We stand the red, the white, the blue ♪ ♪ America ♪ ♪ We are you ♪ ♪ America ♪
[Drill Team] Hooyah Navy.
♪ Anchors aweigh, my boys ♪ ♪ Anchors aweigh ♪ ♪ Farewell to foreign shores ♪ ♪ We sail at break of daaaay ♪ ♪ Through our last night ashore ♪ ♪ Drink to the foam ♪ ♪ Until we meet once more ♪ ♪ Here’s wishing you a happy voyage home ♪
[Leader] Drummers, singers, one, two, three, four.
Award winners, left or right face. Award winners reporting, sir.
Very well. Good morning, I’m Captain Erik Thors, commanding officer of Recruit Training Command. Before we go any further, I’d like to give you the opportunity to let some energy out. So when I count to three, I want you to let it go. I want you to yell, scream, stomp, do whatever the heck you gotta do, but make sure these new Sailors know how much we love them. All right, here we go, one, two, three, let it go.
All right, well done. Excellent, that’s the way you do it. I welcome you to this morning’s recruit graduation ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, this is where our Navy heritage meets the future and where these young men and women enter the profession of arms. Division 902 graduates today. They are the triple threat unit, providing recruit choir, drill team, and band. Please join me in giving them a hand for their outstanding performances.
Welcome to our reviewing officer, Mr. Brad Hansher Regional Administrator, US General Services Administration. I’d also like to welcome the families and friends of our graduates who have come here today to share in this significant milestone with our newest Sailors. Today we pause to commemorate the December 7th, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, a United States Navy base that served as home to the Pacific Fleet and gateway to the Western Sea Frontier. We gratefully pay tribute to the heroes of that fateful day to whom we owe a great debt, perhaps the greatest of debts for their sacrifice, their courage, and their determination to ensure freedom and democracy were resolutely defended. Let us praise the veterans of Pearl Harbor and the brave Americans who fought and won the war that began there. Let us take strength from their example and wisdom from their history. Now I would like to welcome and recognize all the veterans in our audience for their service to our country. Would our veterans please stand?
The men and women of Recruit Training Command are dedicated to providing the United States Navy basically trained, physically fit, and sharply disciplined Sailors like those whom you see before you. They and others like them serve as the bedrock of our naval forces. They give our Navy its combat edge, and they enable us to help keep this nation secure. These Sailors have successfully completed eight weeks of demanding recruit training. They have recently demonstrated their knowledge and their courage during battle stations. They have earned the right to wear the uniform recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom. This training group is ready to graduate and serve in the world’s most powerful navy. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you 347 of the newest and sharpest Sailors in the United States Navy.
[Announcer] Recruit Training Command’s competitive system among individual recruits and divisions promotes teamwork, attention to detail, and pride in accomplishment. Divisions performing above standards throughout their training are awarded recognition flags in five mission areas, academic achievement, military drill, compartment readiness, applications, and physical fitness. These flags are carried as a visible symbol of the division’s success. Each flag indicates that your Sailors, individually and as teams, met performance standards in one or more mission areas. A division that excels in every phase of training has earned the highest overall score will be recognized today for this exemplary achievement. Division 011 has earned this honor today, and we congratulate them on a job exceptionally well done.
[Alexander] Parade, rest.
[Announcer] Mr. Hansher will now present this week’s individual awards, and he’ll be joined on the drill deck by our commanding officer, Captain Thors.
Good morning, Captain. Seaman Apprentice Schilling reporting.
[Erik] Very well.
[Announcer] For achieving the highest overall academic score during recruit training, Seaman Apprentice Josiah Schilling, Division 011, from Vass, North Carolina has earned the Academic Excellence Award, which is sponsored by the Lake Defiance chapter of the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Seaman Apprentice Schilling receives a letter of commendation from the commanding officer. Well done, Sailor.
Good morning, sir. Thank you, sir.
Good morning, Captain, Seaman Apprentice Haynes reporting.
[Erik] Very well.
[Announcer] For having displaying extraordinary qualities best expressing the American spirit of honor, initiative, and loyalty, Seaman Apprentice Rochelle Haynes, Division 012, from Phoenix, Arizona is awarded the Navy League Award, which is sponsored by the Navy League of the United States. Seaman Apprentice Haynes is presented with a commemorative plaque and a letter of commendation from the commanding officer. Well done, Sailor.
Good morning, Captain. Airman Apprentice Guzman Flores reporting.
[Erik] Very well.
[Announcer] Airman Apprentice Zughei Guzman Flores, Division 011, from Moreno Valley, California is the winner of the United Service Organization Award for best exemplifying the spirit and intent of the word shipmate. Airman Apprentice Guzman Flores is given a commemorative plaque from the United Service Organization. Well done, Sailor.
Good morning, Captain, Seaman MacKinnon reporting.
[Erik] Very well.
[Announcer] Seaman Skyler MacKinnon, Division 902, from San Diego, California is the recipient of the Military Order of the World Wars Award of Merit. This award is presented for meritorious performance during recruit training. Seaman MacKinnon is presented with a commemorative plaque from the Military Order of the World Wars. Well done, Sailor.
Good morning, Captain, Seaman Abernathy reporting.
[Erik] Very well.
[Announcer] The Military Officers Association Leadership Award is presented to Seaman Tiffany Abernathy, Division 902, from Elgin, Texas for demonstrating exceptional tenacity and professionalism. Seaman Abernathy is awarded a letter of commendation from our commanding officer. Well done, Sailor.
Thank you, Captain. Good morning, sir.
[Audience Member] Way to go, Abs.
Thank you, sir.
Good morning, Captain, Fireman Brooks reporting.
[Erik] Very well.
Fireman Alexis Brooks, Division 011, from Salem, Wisconsin is the recipient of the Navy Club of the United States of America Military Excellence Award for best exemplifying the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing, and teamwork. This award places her at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. She is awarded a flag letter of commendation. Fireman Brooks, the staff of Recruit Training Command salutes you as the finest of this group of graduates. Well done, Sailor.
Divisions, attention.
[Announcer] It is appropriate to recognize such outstanding individual accomplishments by these Sailors with a round of three cheers. The adjutant will lead all graduating divisions in three cheers for this morning’s award winners.
Hip hip.
[Sailors] Hooray!
Hip hip.
[Sailors] Hooray!
Hip hip.
[Sailors] Hooray!
I have the distinct pleasure this morning of introducing our reviewing officer, Mr. Brad Hansher, Regional Administrator, US General Services Administration. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mr. Hansher was appointed by the President to serve as regional administrator for the US General Services Administration’s Great Lakes Region in October 2018. As Regional Administrator, he oversees a staff of nearly 900 employees responsible for managing a federal real estate portfolio of 35 million square feet across 985 owned and leased properties, as well as operating over 17,000 motor vehicles and conducting $3.5 billion in procurement services for federal agencies throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Hansher served as the senior advisor to GSA’s Great Lakes Regional Administrator and spent more than a decade in the real estate industry. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a warm Recruit Training Command welcome to Mr. Brad Hansher.
Good morning. As the captain mentioned, my name is Brad Hansher. I am the regional administrator for the Great Lakes Region for the General Services Administration. It is a great privilege for me to join you today to welcome these 347 Sailors into the world’s finest navy. For over a century, Naval Station Great Lakes has transformed over three million civilians into highly trained Sailors. The program here has always been rigorous, demanding more from recruits than they probably thought possible. But each of them has selflessly answered the call to duty to serve a cause greater than them. They have passed battle stations and proven themselves worthy of wearing the uniform that symbolizes freedom throughout the world, the uniform of the United States Navy. Recruit division commanders, instructors, and staff at RTC have taken on unique and honorable challenge of shaping recruits into the finest American Sailors, maintaining the Navy’s high standards. We thank them for their dedication.
But most importantly, we acknowledge these Sailors’ families and friends for the integral role you have played. You helped shape your recruit into a person who wanted to stand up for their country, who understands the Navy core values of honor, courage, and commitment. And during the past eight weeks, you have tirelessly supported them. We now welcome you into the Navy family. Sailors, as mentioned previously, you are about to embark on one of the most challenging adventures of your life. You’ve chosen to serve your country at a time when it is most needed, when America must show a strong presence throughout the world, on the seas, and in the skies. You’ve taken on the responsibility of defending our nation and are now prepared for that tremendous duty. You have earned not only mine, but the respect of a grateful nation. Congratulations Sailors.
[Leader] State flags, order arms. Forward platoon, formation march.
[Announcer] Mr. Hansher will now receive the salute of the graduating divisions, and he will be joined on the drill deck by our commanding officer, Captain Thors. Please remain seated until your graduates have been placed on liberty.
Please join me in one more round of appreciation for our wonderful musicians of Navy Band Great Lakes.
Flags, post. Section leaders, fall out and retrieve outer garments.
Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall will be closing at the conclusion of today’s graduation. Please check the area around you to ensure you have all your possessions. For those families with strollers, please retrieve them as you exit the drill hall. As a reminder to all graduating Sailors, ensure that you are in proper uniform of the day prior to exiting the drill hall. Thanks again to each and every one of you for joining us on this most memorable of Navy days. And without further delay, now hear this, now hear this. Liberty call, liberty call, fall out.
[Sailors] Hooyah 241! Hooyah 241!