Navy boot camp graduation from Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois, June 2, 2023.

Transcript

Oh, yeah, let’s go get on the bus. Let’s go. Recruit training. Command is the quarter deck of the United States Navy. Good order and discipline will be maintained 24 7, proper military posture will be maintained 24 7. Every enlisted sailor begins their naval career here and our mission is fairly simple. It is to transform civilians into smartly disciplined, physically fit sailor ready for follow on training and service to the fleet. And while doing so to instill in them the highest values of honor, courage and commitment, you are no longer a civilian, whatever you were before is now over. You are about to begin a journey that’s going to make you a part of the greatest naval force the world has ever known. This training will not be easy. It wasn’t meant to be. Our training environment is controlled chaos. And while it may not seem like that to the recruits, each and every event has meaning and purpose, you’re going to stand off at the top of your list. Do you understand?

We are designed to develop skill sets that sailors can carry throughout their entire career and push hard on physical fitness. Watch standing and creating a warrior mindset. Now with the mental scab, you’re going to be focused on your mind. A true body, mind and soul approach. When I say ga ga you’ll have 156 down your face, your straps check and all of our recruits receive training that will help them. The second they get to the fleet that is firefighting, damage control, weapons and seamanship. Our recruits get hands on training and application with them. All right, you hear what kids?

One draft case comes on the surface. We bottom one right here. So I need everything you’ve got because once we start this evolution again, I’m going to expect you to adapt, overcome and peace. Petty off one. Yeah. Work together as a team execute the mission. And the next time I see you, you’ll be saved, who are neighbors. Everything they learn is tested in a battle stations. Chief, division 001 mad and ready for politician chief. A 24 hour event where the recruit ceases to exist and a sailor is forged and yeah, maybe boot camp really is a machine with a swarm of moving parts all working towards the same goal. Making a sailor. I good morning. Welcome to the navy’s recruit training command and today’s graduation ceremony, we’re very excited to have the families and friends of our navy’s newest sailors here. You are about to watch the formal transition of your recruits to full-fledged sailors today. Your recruit will officially join the world’s greatest and most powerful navy. The Department of the Navy has determined that the men and women graduating here today have what it takes and are ready for service as a sailor. Today’s graduation is not just for the graduates but for you as well. Today, you will become part of the Navy family. Your sailor will continue to depend on you for love, support and encouragement as they progress through their navy careers, their time in service will bring about new challenges and take them to ports and duty stations across the globe. In addition, you will meet and network with many navy families here and throughout your sailors time in service without the steadfast support of navy families this day would not be possible. So, on behalf of the United States Navy, thank you, take pride in what your sailor has accomplished here and the tremendous journey they’re about to embark on. Thank you all for what you do to support our nation’s Navy and enjoy today’s ceremony. Exactly as the parade of graduates approaches, we salute the states and territories whose sons and daughters will graduate today. Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Marilyn, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama. Me, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Florida. Detective Iowa was California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota Montana, Washington. I know Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico. Wow. American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, us Virgin Islands. State flags ordered arms. And now we invite you to join the staff of Recruit 20 Command in welcoming the graduating divisions with your applause as they enter midway ceremonial drill hall and are announced in the following order. Please rise is ok. Yeah. Bye please. 13. No. Yeah. Division 13. Yeah. Yeah, her and win. Ok. Division one. Yeah, win. Yeah. Today’s graduating performing unit is division 92. Hi division 9 25 provides the state flag, color guard and drum line units for today’s ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, you may be seated. Thank you. Divisions, right face, section leaders fall out and collect outer garments. Hey, do so. Right. Divisions, counter March divisions. Hope the oh, at a normal interval, just last, just right face at close interval, dress, dress ready, wrong face, right. Yeah. May I have your attention please?

For the remainder of the review, no one will be permitted to pass in front of the you stand and we ask this as a courtesy to our viewing 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 toward right face. Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I am Lieutenant Jessica Morales recruit training. Command’s master of ceremonies. I would like to welcome you to today’s pass and review. Today you will see seven divisions comprised of 482 sailors participating 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 seamen recruit, Alexandra Whiting from San Diego, California. Let’s give her a hand performing. Today is a staff unit on their seventh week of training, the triple threat unit on their nineth week of training and the state flags unit on their 10th and final week of training. These units are comprised entirely of recruits during their night of arrival. Recruits are placed into divisions of 88 personnel and assigned division commanders. Recruit division commanders form the backbone of recruit training and are 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, the senior recruit supervises the divisional staff positions and leads a division in the absence of their division commanders. Now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce the graduating divisions and their division commanders and recruit chief petty officers as I introduce each division they will raise the competitive flags 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 there. Right. Division 135 commanded by petty officer, first class Christina Leonard officer first, last Stephen Baylor petty officer first flashed Shana Decker and there were crew chief petty officer seaman James Hendricks from Lumberton, North Carolina division 136, commanded by Chief petty officer Bradley Kennedy. Officer first class is Raina petty officer, first class Carl Mall. And they recruit Chief Petty Officer Simon Sebastian Hermosillo from El Paso Texas division 137, commanded by Chief petty officer Edwin Baker, first class Jason petty officer, second class Brian Modes and their recruit. Chief petty officer airman Austin Shoemaker from Dayton, Texas division 138, commanded by Chief petty officer Oscar de La Rosa officer first class Kenya McDaniel’s second class in Manuel. And they recruit chief petty officer airman apprentice Sirio Loner from Colleen Texas division 139, commanded by Chief petty Officer Mikhail Allen. Cutting off our first class CV petty officer, second class Kimberly Hammond. And they recruit chief petty officer airman Joseph Lorenzo from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia division 140, commanded by chief petty officer Dale, first class Michael Brown officer, first class Brian Martinez and then recruit chief petty officer seaman, apprentice Michael Calloway from Gainesville, Florida division 925, commanded by petty officer, first class Marcus Wyatt petty officer, second class Ashley Houser petty officer, second class Andrew OTA. And they recruit Chief petty Officer Seaman Wesley Dus from Miami Florida. 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 side boys boson 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 of marching on of the colors of the national anthem and the invocation. As a reminder, military guests shall remain covered throughout the entire ceremony. And ladies and gentlemen, one final note as we fitting at 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 these sailors just how proud of them you are once again. Welcome aboard. Bye. Hello. Yeah, over. Yeah, whatever is hot and yeah. Ok. Will the guest please rise and remain standing for the arrival of the official party?

Yeah. Strike the mouth recruit training command. Arriving spell fleet forces reserve director, maritime operations arriving. Thank no. Yeah, the guest may be seated. Morning admiral. I wanna go standing by for inspection. So What is going on?

What?

Right?

No. Yeah. Thank you for your inspection. What?

Ok. Well. Ok. Ok. How will the guests please rise?

Please arms really tight. Those present arms order arms chaplain Stillwater will now offer this morning’s and location. Let us pray source of togetherness. Here we are gathered together from near and far, sailor, instructor, family and friend for a moment. I ask your heart. Please lend these recruits though. Mir have come so far set so very high they cleared the bar already sees all staff behind the scene working tirelessly on them. We lean families too behind at home support and missing their loved one on loan. Sailor heads held high. They are walking like they talk from danger and trouble. You know, they will not walk wherever in the world. Life takes them next. They can go there with pride their abilities. So thank you great one for bringing us here together at last from far and near. Oh man. Yes, I to you, our guest 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. Do report this one. Very welcome. Very well. 137, no, who’s what there is?

Very well. This one council very well, very well. Mhm. Very well. All the bishops president going forth, ma’am. Very well. The sailor tree. Oh, yeah, good morning. Captain, I present the gradual individuals request permission to commence the review. Very well, commence the review. So off. Ok, six you guys is great song. I see and yes, yes. Ok. Yeah. Oh, award winners left or right. What your reporting, sir?

Very well. Good morning. I’m Captain Kerrick Brooks commanding Officer Recruit training command. I’m pleased to welcome families and friends to our graduation ceremony. And we look forward to sharing this momentous occasion with you with us. Today is our reviewing officer. Rear Admiral Kenneth Blackman, us Fleet Forces Reserve Director of Maritime Operations and our guest of honor, Captain Joel G Stewart Commodore of Naval Beach Group one, I’d like to acknowledge and thank the representatives of Naval Beach Group one as a fleet sponsor of Division 139. Our fleet sponsor program allows sailors from Navy commands to provide valuable mentorship and motivation to our navy’s future sailors while they are in training and recruit training command. I cannot think of our visitors enough for your continued support and I’m sure your sales are grateful for your encouragement throughout their time at recruit training command. I would also like to welcome all the veterans in our audience and say thank you for your dedicated service to our country. Would all of our veterans please stand so we can give you a round of applause. Division 925 graduates today. They are the state flags unit providing the 50 state flags district of Columbia and US territory flags drum corps and please join me in giving them and the six other graduating divisions here today. A round of applause for their outstanding performances. This is where our Navy heritage meets the future where these young men and women enter the profession of arms. The staff of recruit training command is dedicated to providing the United States Navy with basically trained, physically fit and smartly disciplined sailors such as those standing here today, these sailors have successfully completed 10 rigorous weeks of the manual recruit training and they have earned the right to wear their uniform, recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom. They and others like them serve as the bedrock of our naval forces and they will join other sailors around the world to give our navy a combat edge, enable us to help keep this nation secure. This training group is ready to graduate and serve in the world’s most powerful navy. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you 482 of the newest and sharpest sailors in the United States Navy. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, please be seated vote. Yes. Rear Admiral Blackman will now present this week’s individual awards and he will be joined on the drill deck by Queening officer, Captain Brooks, our guest of honor, Captain Stewart and today’s special guest, Captain Clay. Good morning, Captain Steven Lee. Good morning for achieving the highest overall academic score during recruit training. Seaman David Lee division 9 25 from Irvine, California has earned the academic excellence award which is by the Lake Defiance Chapter of the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Seaman Lee receives a letter of commodification from the commanding officer. Well done sailor. Good morning, admirable. Think I morning captain, please please. Good morning Captain mcas report for having displayed extraordinary qualities, best expressing the American spirit of honor, initiative and loyalty. Seaman, Elisha McKay division 138 from Norfolk, Virginia is awarded the Navy League Award which is sponsored by the Navy League of the United States. Stephen McKay is presented with a commemorative plaque and a letter of accommodation from the commanding officer. Well done sailor. Good morning. A thank you captain. Thank you a good morning. Then come the morning, come, then come, go back. Airman apprentice Nicholas Paxson division 137 from Hanover Ohio is the winner of the United Service Organization Award for best exemplifying the spirit and intent of the word ship made. Airman apprentice Paxson is given a commemorative plaque from the United Service Organization. Well done sailor. Thank you, captain. Good morning captain. Thank you, captain. Good morning captain. Thank you, captain, morning captain, Van report fireman Tyler Vander Boss Division 9 25 from South Windsor Connecticut is the recipient of the Military Order of the World Wars Award of Mary. This award is presented for notorious performance during recruit training. Fireman Vander Boss is presented with a commemorative flack from the military order of the World Wars. Well done sailor, morning admiral. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you, Captain Morgan. Thank you. Good morning, Captain er tea reporting. The Military Officers Association Leadership Award is presented to Airman Isaiah T division 137 from Odessa Texas for demonstrating exceptional tenacity and professionalism. Airman T is awarded a letter of accommodation from our commanding officer. Well done sailor. Thank you. Good morning, Katherine. Thank you, captain. Good morning captain. Thank you, Katherine. Good morning captain, er Stewart reporting, Ian Stewart Division 137 from Worthington. Minnesota 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. Terry and teamwork. This award places him at the pinnacle of today’s new as sailors. He has awarded a flag letter of commodification. Amon Stewart, the staff of recruit training command salutes you as the finest of this group of graduates. Well done. 20. Thank you a good morning captain. Thank you, captain. Good morning captain. Thank you, captain. Oh, 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 and three cheers for this morning’s award winners. I have the pleasure this morning of introducing our Reviewing Officer. Rear Admiral Kenneth Blackman US Fleet Forces Reserve director of maritime operations. A native of Chesterfield, New Jersey. He was commissioned in 1989 as a surface warfare officer. He served the board the destroyer USS David R Ray and the amphibious assault ship USS America. He affiliated with the Navy Reserve in 1993. He has deployed five times the support of multiple operations and mobilized the US Pacific fleet and US Central Command. He has commanded reserve electoral combat ship squadron, two Navy reserve expeditionary strike group, three Navy Reserve fleet, technical support center detachment, 204 Navy Reserve recruiting support unit attachment, 466 and Navy Reserve mobile mine assembly unit three as a flag officer. He served as a deputy commander of US third fleet and he assumed duties as the US Fleet Forces Reserve director of Maritime Operations in October 2021. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a warm recruit training command. Welcome to rear Admiral Blackman. Good morning and thank you for the kind introduction. What a great day of celebration today. It’s my privilege to join you today to welcome these 482 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 of duty to serve a cause greater than themselves. They passed battle stations and proven themselves worthy of wearing the uniform that symbolizes freedom throughout the world. The uniform of the United States Navy, the recruit division commanders, instructors and staff at RTC have taken on the unique and honorable challenge of shaping recruits into the finest American sailors, maintaining the navy’s high standards. We thank them for their dedication. Most importantly, we acknowledge these sailors, families and friends for the integral role you’ve played. You helped shape your recruit into a person who wanted to stand up for their country, who understand the navy values of honor, courage, and commitment. And during the past eight weeks, you’ve tirelessly supported them. We now welcome you into the Navy family sailors. 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’ve earned not only mine but the respect of a grateful nation. Congratulations sailors. May God bless you. The United States Navy and this great nation. I look forward to seeing you in the fleet. Thank you. Stay forward. The two will make rear Admiral Blackman will now receive a salute of the graduating divisions and he will be joined on the DLL deck by our commanding officer, Captain Brooks. Please remain seated until your graduates have been placed on liberty. Yes. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, and 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 out of arms. 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 liberty break.