Seaman Recruit Daryl Taylor, Division 950, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command earning the Military Excellence Award on Oct. 20.

Taylor, 18, said he joined the Navy to make his parents proud and provide a future for himself. He was assigned the rate of Operations Specialist.

Taylor is a recent graduate of Varina High School in Richmond, Virginia, where he was a cadet lieutenant in the Navy Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps and served as the company's executive officer.

The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the No. 1 recruit of their graduating training group. The MEA is awarded to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork. The award placed him at the pinnacle of today's newest Sailors. Taylor is awarded a flag letter of commendation.

Taylor said earning the MEA was a goal and a motivating factor throughout boot camp.

"It means a lot because there were so many who didn't get selected, but I did and I'm very proud of it," he said. "I came in very much focused and I believe my scores throughout recruit training reflect all my hard efforts."

Despite all his determination and hard work, Taylor said he was surprised by the MEA selection announcement.

"I know there were a lot of sharp recruits that were up for the award and I knew it would be a challenge to win over them," Taylor said. "It feels like all my hard work has finally paid off."

Embracing the challenge of boot camp, Taylor said he was inspired by his Recruit Division Commander, Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Dmitry Kapkanov.

"He was definitely a motivating force for me throughout recruit training because of how hard he pushed both myself and the division. During our physical fitness assessment, he urged us to keep going and to push ourselves and it made me want to keep running."

After graduation, Taylor will attend the OS rating course at Training Support Center, Great Lakes. Operations Specialists function as plotters, radio-telephone and Command and sound-powered telephone talkers and maintain Combat Information Center displays of strategic and tactical information. They operate surveillance and altitude radars Identification Friend or Foe, and associated equipment. They also serve as Air Traffic Controllers for helicopters and fixed-wing supersonic jet aircraft.

Boot camp is approximately eight weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. About 30,000 to 40,000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.